PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


•(i^i> 


PRESENTED  BY 

The  Estate  of 
Rockwell  S,  Brank 


.z.y    220  .W65  1885 

The  Wonders  of  prayer 


K 


FACTS  STRANGER   THANi 


m 


^3  1948 


■| 


A  Eecokd  of  Well  Authenticated  and  Wondekful 
Answees  to  Peayee. 


AS  nakrated  by 


GEORGE  MULLER, 
D.  L.  MOODY, 
C.  H.  SPURGEON, 
BISHOP  SIMPSON. 
NEWMAN  HALL,  D.  D. 
BISHOP  T.  BOWMAN, 
CHAS.  G.  FINNEY, 


W.  W.  PATTEN,  D.  D., 
CHAS.  CULLIS, 
S.  I.  PRIME,  D.  D., 
p-    KRUMMACHER, 
MARTIN  LUTHER, 
JOHN  KNOX, 
ABRAHAM   LINCOLN, 


AND  HOSTS  OF  OTHERS. 


NEW  EDITION. 

Revised  by  D.  W.  WHITTLE. 


FLEMING    H.    REVELL, 


CHICAGO: 
148  and  150  Madison  St. 


NEW   YORK: 

.2  Bible  Housi 


Publisher  of  Evangelical  Literature. 


COPTEIGHT,    1885,   BY 

xi.  :E^  IB  "v^  E  Ij  Xj 


Introduction  to  First  Edition. 


The  incidents  which  are  published  in  this  volume,  are 
rouched  for  upon  the  strongest  proofs  of  authenticity  possible 
to  obtain,  and  are  either  of  circumstances  known  amid  my 
own  experience,  or  connected  with  the  lives  of  my  corre- 
spondents and  their  friends.  They  are  the  thankful  record 
and  tribute  to  the  power  of  persevering  faith. 

Nothing  has  been  published  concerning  which  there  is  the 
least  shadow  of  doubt.     All  have  been  carefully  investigated. 

Every  case  has  been  one  of  real  prayer,  and  the  results  that 
have  come,  came  only  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  faith,  and 
were  not  possible  to  obtain  without  it. 

They  demonstrate  to  a  wonderful  degree,  the  immediate 
practical  ways  of  the  Lord  with  his  children  in  this  world, 
that  He  is  far  nearer  and  more  intimate  with  their  plans  and 
pursuits  than  it  is  possible  for  them  to  realize. 

Neither  have  we  depended  upon  the  relation  of  facts  of  a 
few,  to  convince  the  world  of  the  real  power  of  faith,  but  have 
added  concurrent  testimony  of  incidents  actually  known  in 
the  experience  of  such  eminent  clergymen  as  Charles  Spur- 
geon,  Newman  Hall,  Martin  Luther,  W.  Huntington,  Dr. 
Waterbury,  George  Muller,  Dr.  Cullis,  Dr.  Patton,  Dr.  Ad- 
ams, Dr.  Prime,  Bishop  Simpson,  and  many  others. 

Also  we  have  added  some  incidents  known  and  investigated 
and  found  absolutely  true,  by  the  editors  of  the  following 
journals,  who  add  their  unquestioning  belief  in  the  power  of 
prayer :  The  Christian,  The  Evangelist,  The  Observer,  The 
Congregationalist,  The  Advance,  The  Illustrated  Christian 
Weekly,  The  American  Messenger,  The  Witness.  Likewise 
we  have  been  greatly  assisted  by  some  of  our  Home  Mission- 
aries, who,  from  their  daily  experiences  with  the  poor  and  suf- 


4  editor's  introduction. 

fering,  have  been  eye-witnesses  to  remarkable  experiences 
and  the  wonderful  help  of  the  Lord  in  answering  their  prayers. 

These  testimonies  here  recorded  must  be  accepted  as  true. 
They  demonstrate  that  answers  to  prayer  are  not  occasional, 
and  therefore  remarkable  that  they  do  occur,  but  are  of  con- 
stant occurrence. 

There  may  be  many  minds  who,  having  carried  no  trial  to 
the  Lord,  have  never  been  brought  into  intimate  acquaint- 
ances of  the  ways  in  which  the  Lord  tries  the  faith  of  his 
children,  nor  led  to  see  and  observe  his  wonderful  control 
over  human  wills  and  circumstances.  The  power  of  the 
Lord  is  learned  only  by  those  who  in  deep  trouble  have 
faithfully  sought  Him  and  seen  His  ways  of  deliverance. 

None  can  ever  understand  the  full  power  of  prayer  until 
they  have  learned  the  lesson  of  trust.  It  is  only  when  for 
the  first  time  in  the  Christian's  own  life  of  faith,  it  realizes 
the  hand  of  God  in  his  personal  dealings  with  him,  how  near 
He  is,  or  how  clearly  he  feels  the  presence  of  that  tremen- 
dous over-ruling  Spirit  which 

"  Turneth  the  heart  whithersoever  He  loiliy 

The  actual  existence  of  our  God  is  therefore  proved,  not 
alone  from  History^  nor  from  the  Bible  alone,  nor  from  cur- 
rent natural  or  religious  feeling  and  beliefs,  nor  from  the  tes- 
timony of  old  witnesses  several  thousand  years  old,  hut  from 
the  actual  incidents  of  present  prayer^  and  the  literal  ansv^er. 
Daily  faith  and  trust  and  prayer  have  made  the  Christian 
deeply  acquainted  with  Him  and  His  ways,  and  humbly  de- 
pendent upon  His  care  and  love  and  help,  in  the  events  of 
life.     No  one  ever  faithfully  trusted  the  Lord  i7i  vain. 

Circumstances  so  clouded  that  it  has  been  impossible  for 
men  to  control,  have,  through  believing  prayer,  been  so 
made  to  change,  that  through  them  have  been  revealed  liv- 
ing evidences  of  the  presence  of 

The  Ever  Living  God., 


Biscernittg  i^rager. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


BY   D.   W.   WHITTLE. 

To  recognize  God's  existence  is  to  necessitate  prayer  to 
Him,  by  all  intelligent  creatures,  or,  a  consciously  living  in 
sin  and  under  condemnation  of  conscience,  because  they  do 
not  pray  to  Him.  It  would  be  horrible  to  admit  the  existence 
of  a  Supreme  Being,  with  power  and  wisdom  to  create,  and 
believe  that  the  creatures  he  thought  of  consequence  and  im- 
portance enough  to  bring  into  existence,  are  not  of  enough 
consequence  for  him  to  pay  any  attention  to  in  the  troubles 
and  trials  consequent  upon  that  existence. 

Surely  such  a  statement  is  an  impeachment  of  both  the 
wisdom  and  goodness  of  God. 

It  were  far  more  sensible  for  those  who  deny  the  fitness  and 
necessity  of  prayer  to  take  the  ground  of  the  atheist  and  say 
plainly  "  "We  do  not  pray,  for  there  is  no  God  to  pray  to,"  for 
to  deny  prayer,  is  practical  atheism. 

So  in  the  very  constitution  of  man's  being  there  is  the  high- 
est reasonableness  in  prayer.  And,  if  the  position  of  man  in 
his  relation  to  the  earth  he  inhabits  is  recognized  and  under- 
stood, there  is  no  unreasonableness  in  a  God-fearing  man 
looking  to  God  for  help  and  deliverance  under  any  and  all 
circumstances,  in  all  the  vicissitudes  of  life.  The  earth  was 
made  for  man.  One  has  said  "  there  is  nothing  great  in  the 
world  but  man ;  and  there  is  nothing  great  in  man  but  his 
soul."  With  this  in  view,  how  absurd  to  talk  about  *'  fixed 
laws  "  and  "  unchangeable  order,"  in  a  way  to  keep  man  in 
his  trouble  from  God.  It  is  all  the  twaddle  of  the  conceit  of 
man  setting  himself  up  to  judge  and  limit  his  maker.     **  To 


8  DISCERNING    PRAYER. 

whom  then  will  ye  liken  Me,  or  shall  I  be  equal?  saith  the 
Holy  One."  The  Creator  is  greater  than  his  creation;  the 
law  giver  is  supreme  over  all  law.  He  created  the  earth  that 
it  might  be  inhabited  by  man,  and  He  governs  the  earth  in 
subordination  to  the  interests,  the  eternal  and  spiritual  wel- 
fare of  the  race  of  immortal  beings  that  are  here  being  pre- 
pared for  glory  and  immortality. 

Laws,  indeed,  are  fixed  in  their  operation  and  results  as 
subserving  the  highest  good  in  the  training  and  the  disciplin- 
ing of  the  race,  giving  them  hope  in  their  labor  and  sure  ex- 
pectation of  fruit  from  their  toil.  But  as  set  in  operation  for 
mans  good,  so,  in  an  exigency  that  may  make  necessary  their 
suspension,  to  secure  his  deliverance  from  peril  and  bring  man 
back  to  the  recognition  of  the  personal  God,  as  above  law,  is 
it  unreasonable  to  believe  that  God  has  power  thus  to  suspend 
or  over-rule  his  own  arrangements?  A  wise  father  will  gov- 
ern his  children  by  rules  as  securing  their  best  good.  But  he 
will  retain  in  his  power  the  suspending  of  those  rules  when 
special  occasions  arise,  when  the  object  for  which  they  exist 
can  be  better  secured  by  their  suspension.  Shall  not  the  liv- 
ing God  have  the  same  right? 

So  much  as  to  the  reflections  suggested  by  the  dogmas  of 
natural  religion.  They  sustain  in  reason  our  faith  in  prayer. 
The  basis,  however,  of  our  faith  rests  upon  the  unchanging 
and  unchangeable  revelation  of  God,  and  not  upon  man's 
philosophy.  Jesus  taught  his  disciples  to  pray,  saying,  *'  Our 
Father  which  art  in  Heaven."  As  Christians,  this  is  our 
authority  for  prayer.  In  the  words,  **  Our  Father,"  our 
Blessed  Lord  has  given  us  the  substance  of  all  that  can  be 
said,  as  to  the  privilege  of  prayer,  what  to  prat/  for,  and  how  to 
pray.  There  can  be  no  loftier  exercise  of  soul  ever  given  to 
created  intelligence  than  to  come  into  conscious  contact  with 
the  living  God,  and  be  able  to  say  "  My  Father." 

And  surely,  as  my  Father,  with  a  loving  father's  heart,  it 
must  be  his  desire  that  I  should  tell  him  all  my  needs,  all  my 
sorrows,  all  my  desires.     And,  so  his  word  commands,  "  Be 


DISCERNING   PRAYER.  7 

careful  for  nothing,  but  in  everything,  by  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion, with  thanksgiving,  let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto 
God."  (Phil,  iv.,  6.)  Under  this  verse  there  is  positively  no 
exception  of  any  request  that  may  not  be  made  known  unto 
God.  So  there  is  true  faith  and  right  Christian  philosophy 
in  the  remark,  "if  o, pin  was  needful  to  my  happiness  and  I 
could  not  find  one  I  would  pray  to  God  for  it." 

The  mistake  of  Christians  is  in  7iot  praying  over  little  things. 
"  The  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered."  Consult  God 
about  everything.  Expect  His  counsel,  His  guidance,  His 
care,  His  provision.  His  deliverance,  His  blessing,  in  every- 
thing. Does  not  the  expression,  ''  Our  daily  bread,"  mean 
just  this?  Can  there  be  any  true  life  of  faith  that  does  not 
include  this?  Whatever  will  serve  to  help  God's  children  to 
a  better  understanding  of  the  blessed  privileges  of  prayer,  and 
prove  to  them  the  reahty  of  God's  answering  prayer  in  the 
cares,  trials  and  troubles  of  daily  life,  will  approve  itself  to  all 
thoughtful  minds  as  a  blessing  to  them  and  an  honor  to  God. 
It  is  the  purpose  of  this  volume  to  do  this.  We  are  more 
helped  by  testimony  to  facts  than  by  theories  and  doctrines. 
When  we  have  illustrations  before  our  eyes  of  God's  care  for 
his  children,  and  His  response  to  their  faith,  even  in  the 
minutest  things,  we  understand  the  meaning  of  His  promises 
and  the  reality  of  His  providences. 

The  writer  had  many  thoughts  in  this  line  suggested  to  him 
by  an  incident,  with  which  he  was  connected,  in  the  life  of 
George  Muller.  It  was  my  happiness  to  cross  the  Atlantic  in 
the  company  of  this  dear  brother  on  the  steamship  Sardinian, 
from  Quebec  to  Liverpool,  in  June,  1880. 

I  met  Mr.  Muller  in  the  express  office  the  morning  of  sail- 
ing, about  half  an  hour  before  the  tender  was  to  take  the 
passengers  to  the  ship.  He  asked  of  the  agent  if  a  deck  chair 
had  arrived  for  him  from  New  York.  He  was  answered.  No, 
and  told  that  it  could  not  possibly  come  in  time  for  the 
steamer.  I  had  with  me  a  chair  I  had  just  purchased  and 
told  Mr.  Muller  of  the  place  near  by,  where  I  had  obtained  it, 


8  DISCERNING    PRAYER. 

and  suggested  that  as  but  a  few  moments  remained  he  had 
better  buy  one  at  once.  His  reply  was,  *'  No,  my  brother,  Our 
Heavenly  Father  will  send  the  chair  from  New  York.  It  is 
one  used  by  Mrs.  Mnller,  as  we  came  over,  and  left  in  New 
York  when  we  landed.  I  wrote  ten  days  ago  to  a  brother  who 
promised  to  see  it  forwarded  here  last  week.  He  has  not 
been  prompt  as  I  would  have  desired,  but  I  am  sure  Our 
Heavenly  Father  will  send  the  chair.  Mrs.  Muller  is  very 
sick  upon  the  sea,  and  has  particularly  desired  to  have  this 
same  chair,  and  not  finding  it  here  yesterday  when  we  arrived, 
as  we  expected,  we  have  made  special  prayer  that  Our  Hea- 
venly Father  wouftd  be  pleased  to  provide  it  for  us,  and  we  will 
trust  Him  to  do  so."  As  this  dear  man  of  God  went  peace- 
fully on  board  the  tender,  running  the  risk  of  Mrs.  Muller 
making  the  voyage  without  a  chair,  when  for  a  couple  of  dol- 
lars she  could  have  been  provided  for,  I  confess  I  feared  Mr. 
Muller  was  carrying  his  faith  principles  too  far  and  not  acting 
wisely. 

I  was  kept  at  the  express  office  ten  minutes  after  Mr.  Mul- 
ler left.  Just  as  I  started  to  hurry  to  the  wharf  a  team  drove 
up  the  street,  and  on  top  of  a  load  just  arrived  from  New 
York,  was  Mr.  Muller  s  chair !  It  was  sent  at  once  to  the  ten- 
der and  placed  in  my  hands  to  take  to  Mr.  Muller  (the  Lord 
having  a  lesson  for  me)  just  as  the  boat  was  leaving  the  dock. 
I  found  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Muller  in  a  retired  spot  on  one  side  of 
the  tender  and  handed  him  the  chair.  He  took  it  with  the 
happy,  pleased  expression  of  a  child  who  has  just  received  a 
kindness  deeply  appreciated,  and  reverently  removing  his  hat 
and  folding  his  hands  over  it,  he  thanked  his  Heavenly 
Father  for  sending  the  chair.  *'  In  evenjthing  by  prayer  and 
supplication  let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God/* 
*•  Casting  all  your  care  upon  Him,  for  He  careth  for  you." 

So  the  word  of  God  teaches  us  as  His  children  {inviting  us 
to  pray,  commanding  us  to  pray,  and  teaching  us  how  to  pray), 
that  there  is  a  divine  reality  in  prayer.  Experience  abun- 
dantly corroborates  the  teaching. 


DISCERNING   PRAYES.  9 

Every  truly  converted  man  knows  from  this  experience  that 
God  answers  prayer.  He  has  verified  the  promise.  "  Call 
unto  me,  and  I  will  answer  thee,  and  shew  thee  great  and 
mighty  things,  which  thou  knowest  not."  (Jer.  xxxiii.,  3.) 
His  life  is  a  life  of  prayer,  and  grows  more  and  more  to  be 
a  life  of  almost  unconscious  dependence  upon  God,  as  he  be- 
comes fixed  in  the  habit  of  prayer.  This,  and  it  is  the  purpose 
of  God,  is  the  result  secured  by  prayer.  With  this  in  view,  it 
will  not  be  so  much  what  we  expect  to  get  by  praying,  as  a 
consciousness  of  coming  into  closer  relations  to  God,  the 
giver  of  all,  in  our  prayers,  that  will  give  us  true  joy. 

Often  God's  children  are  driven  to  the  throne  of  grace  by 
some  desperate  need  of  help  and  definite  supply  of  an  abso- 
lute want,  and,  as  they  cry  to  God  and  plead  their  case  with 
tears  before  him,  he  so  manifests  his  presence  to  them  and  so 
fills  them  with  a  consciousness  of  his  love  and  power,  that 
the  burden  is  gone  and  without  the  want  being  supplied  that 
drove  them  to  God,  they  rejoice  in  God  himself  and  care  not 
for  the  deprivation.  This  was  Paul's  experience  when  he 
went  thus  to  God  about  the  thorn,  and  came  away  without 
the  specific  relief  he  had  prayed  for,  but  with  such  a  bless- 
ing as  a  result  of  his  drawing  near  to  God,  that  he  little 
cared  whether  the  thorn  remained  or  not — or,  rather,  rejoiced 
that  it  was  not  removed ;  that  it  might  be  used  to  keep  him 
near  to  God,  whose  love  so  filled  his  soul. 

A  widow  once  told  the  writer  of  the  turning  point  in  her  Chris- 
tian life,  when  God's  love  was  so  shed  abroad  in  her  heart  that 
she  had  been  enabled  to  go  on  through  all  her  trials  rejoicingly 
conscious  of  God's  presence,  and  casting  all  her  burdens  upon 
Him.  She  was  driven  to  seek  God  by  great  need.  Her  husband's 
death  left  her  destitute,  with  httle  children  to  provide  for,  and 
few  friends  from  whom  to  look  for  continuous  aid.  Winter 
drew  on,  and,  one  day,  her  little  boy  came  in  shivering  with 
cold  and  asked  if  he  could  not  have  a  fur  cap,  as  his  straw 
hat  was  very  cold  and  none  of  the  boys  at  school  wore  straw 
hats.     She  was  without  a  cent  in  the  world.     She  gave  a 


10  DISCERNING   PRAYER. 

hopeful  answer  to  the  boy  and  sent  him  out  to  plaV,  and  then 
went  to  her  bedroom  and  knelt  and  wept  in  utter  desola- 
tion of  heart  before  God,  praying  most  earnestly  that  God 
would  give  her  a  token  that  He  was  her  God  and  was  caring 
for  her  by  sending  her  a  cap  for  her  boy.  While  she  prayed 
the  peace  of  God  filled  her  soul.  She  was  made  to  feel  the 
presence  of  her  Saviour  in  such  a  way  that  all  doubts  as  to 
his  love  for  her  and  his  fulfillment  of  all  his  promises  to  care 
for  her  vanished  away,  and  she  went  out  of  her  room,  rejoic- 
ing in  the  Lord  and  singing  his  praise.  She  had  no  burden 
about  the  cap,  and  was  quite  content  for  God  to  send  it  or  not 
as  it  pleased  Him;  and,  in  the  afternoon,  when  a  neighbor 
called,  occupied  with  the  Lord  and  his  wonderful  love,  the 
thought  of  the  cap  had  gone  from  her  mind.  When  the  neigh- 
bor rose  to  depart,  she  said,  "  You  know  my  little  boy  died 
last  fall.  Just  before  he  died  I  bought  him  a  fur  cap :  he  only 
wore  it  two  or  three  times.  After  his  death  I  put  away  all 
his  things  and  thought  I  could  never  part  with  any  of  them. 
But,  this  morning,  as  I  went  to  the  drawer  to  look  them  over, 
I  felt  that  I  should  give  you  this  cap  for  your  little  boy.  Will 
you  take  it  of  me?  As  she  took  the  cap  and  told  her  neighbor 
of  the  morning  trial,  prayer  and  blessing,  two  souls  were 
filled  with  the  sense  of  the  reality  of  prayer  and  the  love  of 
God  for  his  children.  "My  little  boy,"  said  the  widow,  "wore 
that  cap  for  three  winters.  And  often,  when  sorely  tried  by 
my  circumstances,  has  God  lifted  the  burden  from  my  heart, 
by  my  just  looking  at  it,  and  remembering  the  blessing  that 
came  with  it." 

Experiences  like  this  God  gives  to  all  his  children,  not  for 
the  purpose  of  leading  them  to  look  to  Him  for  supplying 
their  physical  necessities,  as  an  end,  but  to  make  Himself 
known  to  them,  and  to  secure  their  confidence  and  love,  for 
"this  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know  Thee,  the  only  true 
God  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  Thou  hast  sent."  (Jno.  xvii,  3.) 

The  use  of  prayer  is  to  bring  us  into  communion  with  God, 
hi  the  growth  of  the  spiritual  life,  that  is  ours  by  faith  in 


DISCERNING   PRAYER.  11 

Christ  Jesus.  To  leave  it  upon  any  lower  plane  than  this,  is 
to  rob  it  of  its  highest  functions  and  to  paralyze  it  of  lasting 
power  for  good  in  any  direction.  The  promises  of  God  are 
conditioned  upon  our  being  in  this  state  of  heart  toward  God. 
"If  ye  abide  in  me  and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask 
what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you.  (Jno.  xv.,  7.) 
Abiding  in  Christ,  our  will  will  be  His  will,  as  to  desiring  that 
which  will  most  advance  the  divine  life  and  promote  confid- 
ence in  God,  and  all  our  desires  for  material  blessings  will  be 
subordinated  to  this  motive.  Right  here  must  come  in  a  line 
of  truth  that  will  lead  us  from  the  spirit  of  dictation  in  our 
prayers  to  God  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  our  worldly  con- 
cerns. We  cannot  tell  what  is  for  our  highest  spiritual  good. 
The  saving  of  our  property  or  the  taking  it  away.  The  re- 
covery from  sickness  or  the  continuance  of  it ;  the  restoration 
of  the  health  of  our  loved  one,  or  his  departing  to  be  with 
Christ;  the  removing  the  thorn  or  the  permitting  it  to  remain, 
"/^i  evenjthituf  it  is  indeed  our  blessed  privilege  to  let  our  re- 
quests be  make  known  unto  God,  but,  praise  his  name,  he  has 
Hot  passed  over  to  us  the  awful  responsibility  of  the  assurance 
that  in  everything  the  requests  we  make  known  will  be  granted. 
He  has  reserved  the  decision,  where  we  should  rejoice  to  leave 
it,  to  his  infinite  wisdom  and  his  infinite  love. 

There  is  a  danger  to  be  carefully  guarded  against  in  the 
reading  of  this  book  and  in  the  consideration  of  the  precious 
truth.  The  incidents  it  relates  bring  before  the  mind,  of  the 
unlimited  resources  and  the  unquenchable  love  of  God,  that 
are  made  available  to  believing  prayer.  That  danger  has 
been  suggested  by  what  has  been  said,  that  the  highest  use  of 
prayer  is  to  bring  the  soul  nearer  to  God,  and  7iot  the  ynakiyig  oj 
it  a  mere  matter  of  convenience  to  escape  physical  ills  or  supply  phy- 
sical necessities. 

"That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh"  and  continues 
flesh  until  the  end.  "Have  no  confidence  tn  the  flesh"  is  al- 
ways a  much  needed  exhortation.  Now,  unquestionably,  the 
desires  of  the  natural  heart  may  and  do  deceive  us,  and  often 


1^  DISCERNING^   PEAYER. 

lead  us  to  believe  that  our  fervent  earnest  prayer  for  temporal 
blessing  is  led  of  the  Spirit,  when  the  mind  of  the  Spirit  is, 
that  we  will  be  made  more  humble,  more  Christ-like  and  more 
useful  by  being  denied  than  by  being  granted.  Again,  we  are 
in  danger  of  disobeying  the  plain  commands  of  God's  word  in 
allowing  prayer  ever  to  take  the  place  of  anything  in  our  power 
to  do,  and  that  ive  are  commanded  to  do  as  a  means  to  secure  needed 
good.  He  who  has  said  "  pray  always,"  has  also  said,  "  Be 
ambitious  to  be  quiet  and  to  do  your  own  business,  and  to 
work  with  your  hands,  even  as  we  charged  you;  that  ye  may 
walk  honestly  toward  them  that  are  without,  and  may  have 
need  of  nothing."     (1  Thess.,  iv.,  11,  12;  R.  V.) 

How  often  the  Jlesh  has  led  men  to  read  (Phil,  iv.,  19): 
"My  God  shall  supply  all  your  need  according  to  his  riches  in 
glory  by  Christ  Jesus,"  in  a  spirit  entirely  opposed  to  this  ex- 
hortation. They  have  ceased  to  labor  with  their  hands,  and, 
without  warrant  in  the  providences  of  God  and  the  judgment 
of  brethren,  have  turned  from  doing  their  own  business,  ex- 
pecting the  Lord  to  pay  their  debts  and  provide  for  their  ne- 
cessities. The  quotations  of  Scripture  made  by  our  Lord  to 
Satan,  "Thou  shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord,  thy  God,"  is  surely 
applicable  in  all  such  cases.  The  spirit  of  a  "sound  mind" 
(see  2  Tim.  i.,  7)  will  surely  recognize  this. 

So  in  all  things,  that  which  God  has  given  me  intelligence 
and  power  to  do,  in  avoiding  evil  or  securing  good,  I  am  under 
direct  command  from  him  to  do,  always  depending  upon  His 
blessing  to  secure  the  needed  result.  A  true  faith  in  God  will 
be  made  manifest  by  careful  obedience  to  known  commands. 
An  intelligent  faith  can  never  allow  dependence  upon  means 
used  to  take  the  place  of  dependence  upon  the  living  God, 
who  alone  makes  them  efficacious. 

It  must  result  in  preswnptious  faith,  if  obedience  is  neglected, 
and  the  results  only  promised  to  obedience  are  expected.  That 
God  can  give  blessing,  without  the  use  of  the  ordinary  means, 
on  man's  part,  there  is  no  question.  That  he  has  done  so  is 
a  matter  of  record.     Yet  we  should  remember  that  there  were 


DISCERNING    PRAYER.  13 

but  tivG  miraculous  draughts  of  fishes,  and  ofihj  twice  did  our 
Lord  make  bread  without  the  use  of  seed-time,  harvest,  grind- 
ing and  baking.  The  rule  of  Christ  in  his  earthly  ministry 
was,  most  certainly,  to  receive  the  supply  of  his  physical 
wants  from  His  Heavenly  Father,  in  the  use  of  means  to  se- 
cure the  results  offered  in  the  ordinary  operation  of  the  laws 
of  God.  He  went  into  the  corn-field  at  autumn  and  visited 
the  olive  tree  for  sustenance  as  did  other  men.  And  the  ques- 
tion for  his  disciples  is  not  what  God  can  do,  and  not  what  he 
has  done  (that  he  may  be  known  as  God  over  all  creation, 
blessed  for  evermore)  in  the  suspension  of  natural  laws,  but 
what  has  he  revealed  to  us  as  his  will  during  the  time  of  the 
present  dispensation  of  the  church  on  this  earth,  as  to  his 
children  using  means  for  the  avoidance  of  evil  and  securing  of 
good,  or  depending  entirely  upon  miraculous  interference  in 
answer  to  the  prayer  of  faith  for  all  need  without  reference  to 
use  of  means. 

Does  the  prayer,  *'  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,"  mean 
that  we  are  to  do  nothing  to  secure  our  bread,  lest  we  show  no 
faith  in  God,  and  simply  wait  in  idleness  for  God  to  repeat  the 
the  miracle  of  sending  it  by  a  raven  ?  or,  does  it  mean  that 
with  thankful  hearts  to  God  for  the  ability  he  has  given  us  to 
w&rk,  that  we  go  forth  diligently  fulfilling  our  task  in  the  use 
of  all  appropriate  means  to  secure  that  which  his  loving 
bounty  has  made  possible  for  us  in  the  fruitful  seasons  of  the 
earth,  and  return  with  devout  recognition  that  He  is  the  Crea- 
tor, Upholder  and  Giver  of  all,  bringing  our  sheaves  with  us. 
When  seed-time  and  harvest  fail  and  death  is  on  the  land, 
when  corn  fails  in  Egypt  and  there  is  no  bread,  when  ive  have 
obeyed  Jiim  and  sought  to  toil  with  our  hands  and  no  man  has 
given  unto  us,  then  we  will  expect  his  interposition  and  will 
have  faith  that  he  who  has  fed  us  by  use  of  means,  will  supply 
us  without  means,  and  that  He  alone  is  the  living  God. 

It  is  noticeable  that  the  prophet  Elisha,  whose  prayers  God 
heard  in  the  multiplication  of  the  twenty  loaves  during  the 
dearth  at  Gilgal,  was  made  Ehjah's  successor  when  following 


14  DISCEBNING   PBAYER. 

his  twelve  yoke  of  oxen  at  the  plough  in  the  field,  diligently 
using  means  to  obtain  bread,  and  undoubtedly  communing 
with  God  all  the  while  and  recognizing  the  evidences  of  his 
love  and  power  in  every  upturned  daisy  as  he  ploughed  the 
sod,  and  in  every  seed  that  he  dropped  into  the  fertile  earth, 
and  thought  it  grand  to  be  a  fellow  worker  with  God  in  the 
husbandry  of  the  earth  and  not  one  to  be  fed  in  idleness, 
neglecting  the  toil  appointed  to  man,  and  losing  the  blessing 
that  is  promised  in  the  word  of  God,  in  the  discipline  and  the 
knowledge  of  God  in  the  operations  of  His  laws,  that  comes 
in  a  greater  or  less  degree  to  all  of  earth's  honest  toilers. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  many  of  God's  children  that  as  the 
present  dispensation  draws  to  its  close,  there  will  be  among 
the  spiritually  minded  and  consecrated  ones  of  the  church,  a 
reproduction  of  the  gifts  of  Pentecost  for  a  last  testimony  to 
the  world  before  Christ  comes  in  glory.  There  is  much  Scrip- 
ture that  might  be  quoted  to  sustain  this  opinion.  God  grant 
in  His  grace  and  mercy  that  it  may  be  so.  But  neither  the 
church  or  the  world  have  any  claim  upon  God  for  it.  The 
church  has  abused  grace  and  the  world  has  despised  mercy. 
All  the  promises  as  to  miracles  wrought  for  a  testimony  as  to 
the  truth  of  Christ's  resurrection,  have  been  fulfilled.  If 
Christ  were  to  come  to-day,  the  world  would  be  without  excuse 
in  having  rejected  him,  and  could  not  plead  that  signs  and 
wonders  had  been  abundantly  wrought  in  His  name  in  the 
establishing  of  His  church  upon  the  earth 

The  question  of  our  Lord  in  Luke  xviii.,  8,  "  When  the  son 
of  man  cometh  shall  he  find  faith  on  the  earth?  "  suggests  to 
many  minds  that  there  may  not  be  vouchsafed  during  the  time 
immediately  preceding  his  manifestations,  any  marked  inter- 
ference by  God  in  the  way  of  miracles  or  signs  among  his 
children,  but  that  their  faith  in  Him  as  the  unseen  God,  and 
their  trust  in  the  truth  and  verity  of  His  word,  will  be  brought 
forth  to  the  praise  and  glory  of  God  and  their  joy,  by  their 
being  left  to  the  word  alone  and  the  operations  of  the  Holy 


DISCERNING    PRAYER.  15 

Ghost  by  and  through  the  word  for  their  corafort  and  sfcabiHty 
in  the  faith. 

Coupled  with  this  thought  let  it  ever  be  borne  in  mind  by 
the  believer  that  the  testimony  of  God's  word  as  to  miracles, 
signs  and  wonders  wrought  by  Satanic  agency  in  the  church, 
during  the  last  day,  is  clear  and  unmistakable,  and  warnings 
abound  as  to  our  danger  from  them. 

*'  The  Spirit  saith  expressly  that  in  later  times  some  shall 
fall  away  from  the  faith,  giving  heed  to  seducing  spirits  and 
doctrines  of  devils."     1  Tim.  iv.,  1. 

"  But  know  this,  that  in  the  last  days  grievous  times  shall 
come."  '*  Evil  men  and  imposters  shall  wax  worse  and  worse, 
deceiving  and  being  deceived."     2  Tim.  iii.,  1  and  13. 

"  Satan  himself  is  transformed  into  an  angel  of  light. 
Therefore  it  is  no  great  thing  if  his  ministers  be  transformed 
as  the  ministers  of  righteousness.     2  Cor.  xi.,  14. 

*'  And  then  shall  that  wicked  be  revealed.  Even  him  whose 
coming  is  after  the  working  of  Satan,  with  all  power,  and  signs, 
and  lying  wonders  ;  and  with  all  deceivableness  of  unrighteous- 
ness in  them  that  perish,  because  they  received  not  the  love  of 
the  truth  that  they  might  be  saved."     2  Thess.  ii.,  8  to  10. 

By  these  passages  it  is  plain  that  a  sign  or  a  wonder  does 
not  establish  a  doctrine  or  endorse  a  man  as  certainly  being 
from  God.  The  doctrine  and  the  man  must  be  judged  by  the 
written  word  of  God. 

If  there  is  ought  in  the  doctrine  that  denies  that  Jesus  is 
the  Son  of  God,  that  derogates  in  the  slightest  degree  from 
the  merit  of  His  atonement  on  the  cross  for  our  sins,  or  that 
takes  the  eye  off  from  Him  as  the  risen  and  coming  Lord, 
the  alone  object  of  our  faith  and  hope,  or  that  dishonors  in 
any  way  God's  holy  word,  taking  from  or  adding  to  it,  then 
the  more  signs  and  wonders  and  manifestations  of  mysterious 
power  that  there  may  be  connected  with  it,  then  the  more  cer- 
tainly we  may  know  that  it  is  of  Satan  and  not  of  God. 

And  if,  in  the  man  who  exhibits  signs  and  wonders,  there  is 
a  spirit  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  Christ,  in  his  seeking  honor 


16  DISCERNING    PRAYER. 

from  man,  and  using  his  power  to  establish  a  claim  to 
such  honor,  "  speaking  of  himself  as  some  great  one,"  and 
not  walking  in  humility  as  a  sinner  saved  from  hell  and  kept 
day  by  day  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith  in  Christ, 
And  if  the  purpose  of  his  signs  be  to  establish  revelations 
he  is  receiving  in  any  form  apart  from  the  written  word,  then, 
though  his  signs  be  as  marvellous  as  those  of  the  magicians 
in  Egypt,  or  Simon  Magnus  in  Samaria,  he  is,  like  them,  a 
minister  of  Satan  and  not  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  age  abounds  in  doctrines  and  men  of  this  kind.  The 
life  of  faith  lays  the  soul  open  to  assaults  of  the  Devil  by  their 
agency. 

*♦  Beloved  try  the  spirits  whether  they  be  of  God." 
Let  us  not  waver  in  our  faith  in  God's  overruhng  provi- 
dence, and  in  the  reality  of  His  interposition  in  answer  to 
prayer  for  the  deliverance  and  help  of  his  people  under  any  and 
all  circumstances.  "  In  everything,  by  prayer  and  supplication 
with  thanksgiving,  let  our  requests  be  made  known  unto  God," 
but  let  our  first  request  be  •  that  we  be  kept  in  a  sound  mind 
obedient  to  the  word,  and  let  all  of  our  requests  close  with  the 
utterance,  from  a  sincere  heart,  of  the  words,  **  Thy  will  be 
done."  If  this  be  the  attitude  of  our  hearts  our  prayers  shall 
be  abundantly  and  graciously  answered,  and  God  shall  guide 
us  from  the  wiles  of  the  Evil  One  for  the  sake  of  His  dear 
Son  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  through  whose  precious  blood  we 
have  all  grace  and  all  blessing.     Amen. 

Lake  View,  July  24th,  1885. 


i^  Paw  ^m  §mm 


potMttg 
^xup  it  hi  ^ivm  pirn 


Svom 


uvm. 


i^lttt  3 :  2?. 


i^  ®0irmiattt. 


*'  ^non^,  t?iat  the  Zot^d,  thy  God  he  is  God,  the  /aith/ut 
God,  which  keepeth  covenant  and  mercy  with  than  that 
love  him,  a7id  keep  his  commandments,  to  a  thousand 
generations,'* 

''My  Covenant  will  I  not  break,  nor  alte?'  the  t?iing 
that  is  gone  out  of  my  lips," 

"  I  will  not  suffer  my  faithfulness  to  fail," 

**  I  have  spoken  it,  I  will  also  b7i,7ig  it  to  pass  j  I  ha%'e 
purposed  it,  I  will  also  do  it," 

"Me  is  faithful  that  promised." 

*'  Iwill  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  you,  even 
the  sure  77iercies  of  ^avid," 

*'  Once  have  I  swor7i  by  my  holiness  that  I  will  not  lie 
unto  2)avid," 

"  God  is  not  a  7nan,  that  he  should  lie ;  hath  he  said 
a7id  shall  ?ie  7iot  do  it  ?  hath  he  spoken  a7id  shall  lie  not 
make  it  good?  " 

"  J^orever,  O  Jjord,  thy  word  is  settled  in  S^eaven;  thy 
faithfulness  is  U7ito  all  ge7ie7^atio7is,  thy  7t^07'd  is  tmie 
from  the  beginning," 

*'  Thy  faithfulness  is  ten  to  all  ge7ierations." 

*'  The  word  of  our  God  shall  stand  forever," 

''  So  shall  my  jt^ord  be  that  goeth  fo7'th  out  of  my 
7nouth;  it  shall  not  return  U7ito  77ie  void,  but  it  shall 
accomplish  that  which  I  please,  and  it  shall  prosper  i7i 
the  thi77gs  whereto  I  sent  it," 


^nmtt$  io  Iprapij. 


A  Wonderful  Answer  to  Prayer  and  Proof 
of  the  Existence  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

A  trustful  Christian,  whose  heart  had  been  deeply  touched 
with  thoughts  of  religion,  was  one  day  thinking  and  ponder- 
ing and  wishing  that  he  might  be  more  truly  convinced  of 
the  actual  existence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  '•  If,"  thought  he, 
*'  there  is  a  Holy  Spirit,  a  Superior  Mind  and  Will,  I  rever- 
ently and  sincerely  wish  that  I  may  be  convinced  of  it 
beyond  all  doubt ;  that  I  may  indeed  know  God  is  a  living 
reality  and  daily  guide  and  mighty  among  the  plans  and 
ways  of  men."  Though  having  all  the  needed  mental,  his- 
toric and  heart  belief  and  trust  in  God — still  there  was  de- 
sired that  special  satisfaction  which  can  only  come  by  per- 
sonal evidence. 

With  reverent  feeling  one  morning,  he  asked  the  Lord 
humbly,  in  Prayer,  "  What  can  thy  servant  do  for  thee  this 
day  ?  Teach  hiniy  that  he  may  gladly  minister  to  any  one  in 
thy  name.''''  In  the  course  of  the  day  there  came  to  him  the 
thought  of  the  revival  services  then  proceeding  in  Brooklyn, 
and  feeling  a  cordial  sympathy,  he  sat  down  and  wrote  a  letter 
to  Mr.  Moody,  with  these  words :  "  /  kriow  not  how  you  are 
supported,  or  anything  of  your  needs  ;  but  I  feel  like  helpirig 
you  in  your  good  work.     Enclosed  firid  check  for  $25 ;  take 


20  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

it  and  use  it  if  you  need  it  for  yourself;  if  not,  then  do  some 
good  with  it.^'  The  circumstance  was  almost  forgotten,  when 
the  day  after  there  came  this  wonderful  reply  from  Mr. 
Moody : 

"  Your  letter  came  to  hand  in  the  same  mail,  at  the  same 
INSTANT  of  TIME,  with  a  letter  from  a  brother  in  distress 
WANTING  THE  SAME  AMOUNT.  And  now  youJiavemade  him 
happy,  and  my  heart  glad,  and  the  Lord  will  bless  you  foi 
itJ^  D.  L.  Moody. 

Had  there  been  a  direct  revelation  from  heaven,  it  could 
not  have  been  more  astounding  than  this,  to  the  heart  of  that 
Christian.  His  own  prayer  was  answered,  as  to  his  search  for 
the  evidences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  oh,  how  wonderfully ! 

None  but  a  Superior,  Higher,  Overruling  Spirit,  could  have 
known  the  thoughts  and  desires  of  each  heart.  Nothing  but 
an  Omnipotent  hand  of  Power  and  Wisdom  could  have 
brought  these  two  letters  together  at  that  identical  instant 
of  time.  None  but  an  All-knowing  Father  could  have  fixed 
the  amount  of  money  which  the  one  was  to  give  and  the  other 
was  to  pray  for. 

This  was  a  wonderful  conjuncture  of  time,  desire  and 
amount,  and  could  never  have  happened  by  any  chance  opera- 
tion of  Nature  or  the  natural  heart  and  will.  Strangest  of 
all,  neither  of  the  parties  had  ever  met,  known  or  corresponded 
with  each  other  before.  Neither  did  Mr.  Moody  know  of  the 
desire  of  the  one,  nor  the  necessity  of  the  other,  until  in  the 
act  of  opening  the  two  letters  side  by  side.  In  the  one  envel- 
ope was  the  prayer;  in  the  other  the  answer. 

That  check,  those  letters,  with  all  signatures  and  endorse- 
ments and  those  persons  are  this  day  living  and  can  testify 
to  the  authenticity  of  the  circumstance. 


ANSWERS   TO  PRAYE3.  21 

The  Prayer  of  Faith. 

The  family  of  Mr.  James  E.  Jordan  has  resided  in  Lake 
View,  Chicago,  since  the  spring  of  1871,  They  are  members 
of  Lincoln  Park  Congregational  Church.  The  father,  Mr. 
James  Re  Jordan,  died  in  October,  1882,  aged  eighty-four 
years.  .  Through  a  long  series  of  financial  trials,  sorrows, 
afflictions  by  death  and  pressing  cares,  this  family  learned  to 
depend  on  God  for  their  daily  prosperity;  and  the  cures 
wrought  in  them,  according  to  God's  Word,  are  only  a  small 
portion  of  the  remarkable  answers  to  prayer  with  which  their 
history  is  filled. 

It  is  an  instructive  fact  for  Christian  meditation,  that  when 
the  exercise  of  intelligent  faith  was  necessary  to  their  cures, 
the  faith  was  there  ready  for  exercise.  They  had  not  to  begin, 
as,  alas !  so  many  do,  at  the  very  foundation,  and  find  out 
first,  what  faith  is,  and  next,  how  to  exercise  it.  They  had 
learned  long  before  what  faith  is  and  what  faith  is  not;  that 
faith  is  trustful  obedience  to  the  Word  of  God ;  that  it  is  not  a 
determination  to  have  one's  own  way,  nor  to  expect  the  imme- 
diate gratification  of  a  desire,  simply  because  the  desire  has 
been  made  known  to  God.  They  knew  that  faith  obediently 
accepts  God's  commands  and  promises,  expects  to  comply 
with  the  conditions  of  those  commands  and  promises,  and,  so 
complying,  expects  to  receive  the  results  of  such  obedience  at 
such  times  and  in  such  ways  as  God  appoints ;  all  of  which 
truths  they  found,  and  all  of  which  may  be  found  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures. 

Thus  living  in  the  hopes  of  the  Gospel,  reahzing  as  muca 
that  their  "home  is  in  heaven"  as  that  their  "rest  is  not 
here,"  they  have,  through  the  years,  performed  the  daily  duties 
of  their  pilgrimage. 

The  writer  has  known  them  for  thirteen  years,  and  grate- 
fully testifies  that  their  faith  has  strengthened  her's,  and  that 
their  cheerful  hope  in  the  Lord  has  been  a  strong  consolation 
to  many  who  were  in  trouble. 


22  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYEB. 

After  the  sudden  death  of  the  youngest  son  of  the  family, 
in  1880,  the  care  of  the  family  devolved  entirely  upon  the  two 
daughters,  Mrs.  H.  J.  Furlong  and  Miss  Addie  S.  Jordan, 

In  April,  1876,  Mrs.  Jordan  fell  and  badly  fractured  her 
hip.  She  was  then  seventy-seven  years  old.  On  account  of 
her  age  she  could  not  well  be  etherized,  nor  endure  the 
repeated  necessary  resetting  of  the  bones,  and  consequently 
they  grew  together  irregularly.  Her  hip-joint  was  stifif,  so 
that  she  was  never  able  to  walk  without  the  support  of  a  cane 
or  crutch.  For  eight  years  she  could  not  leave  her  own  little 
yard,  nor  climb  into  a  carriage,  nor  walk  without  support. 

Through  this  misfortune  her  afflictions  grew  worse.  In 
January,  1884,  she  fell  and  broke  one  bone  and  dislocated 
another  in  the  left  wrist.  Notwithstanding  all  that  medical 
help  could  do,  the  shock  brought  on  a  severe  sickness,  and 
when,  after  eight  weeks,  she  left  her  bed  to  move  around 
feebly,  she  had  almost  lost  her  sight  and  hearing,  her  hand 
was  useless,  and  her  mind  greatly  impaired. 

On  her  birthday,  June  10,  1884,  when  she  was  eighty-five 
years  old,  she  greatly  mourned  that  she  had  outlived  her  use- 
fulness ;  that  she  could  no  longer  feed  herself,  nor  read  her 
Bible,  nor  remember  the  desirable  subjects  for  her  prayers, 
and  she  hoped  that  she  should  not  linger  here  long  in  such  a 
helpless  and  useless  condition. 

During  the  latter  part  of  this  time  the  two  daughters  were 
•  sick,  Mrs.  Furlong  with  paralysis  and  Miss  Jordan  with  con- 
sumption. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1882  Miss  Jordan,  then  in  feeble 
health,  was  needed  at  home  to  attend  the  father's  last  sick- 
ness, and  Mrs.  Furlong  was  left  to  conduct  their  business 
alone.  The  extraordinary  exertion  brought  on  paralysis.  It 
began  in  her  right  arm,  which  became  so  insensible  that  the 
strongest  ammonia  produced  no  sensation  or  apparent  effect. 
Gradually  her  whole  right  side  lost  power,  her  foot  dragged, 
and  though  she  did  manage  to  move  about,  she  was  compar- 
atively helpless.     Physicians  spoke  not  hopefully;  and  pro- 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYEEo  23 

tracted  rest  was  recommended  as  a  possible  reliefo  She  planned 
to  take  electric  treatment,  though  not  very  hopeful  about  the 
result.  She  failed  once  to  meet  her  physician,  and  while 
planning  the  second  time  to  take  the  treatment,  and  consid- 
ering Christ's  miracles  of  healing,  and  the  Bible's  promises  to 
the  sick,  and  having  a  feeling  that  possibly  she  might  be 
doing  wrong  in  not  relying  entirely  on  the  Lord,  who  had 
hitherto  so  much  helped  them,  she  delayed  a  little,  and  failed 
again  to  meet  the  appointment.  It  was  a  Saturday  evening 
in  January,  1883. 

She  went  home  and  sat  down  that  evening  alone,  in  the 
dining-room,  depressed.  The  enfeebled  family — the  aged 
crippled  mother,  the  sick  sister  and  her  own  young  son — had 
retired.  As  she  thought  the  subject  through,  she  became 
convinced  that  it  was  not  good  to  spend  time  and  money  in 
the  way  proposed.  Instantly  the  words  The  Saviour  filled 
her  soul  with  indescribable  hope,  and  as  she  thought  of  His 
miracles,  and  how  the  same  Jesus^  on  earth,  healed  paralyzed 
ones,  the  hope  grew  that  He  would  heal  her. 

With  the  well  hand  she  stretched  out  her  paralyzed  hand  on 
the  table  and  said:  "Dear  Lord,  will  you  heal  me?"  Like 
an  electric  shock  the  life  began  to  move  in  her  arm,  and  the 
continued  sensation  was  as  though  something  that,  previ- 
ously, had  not  moved  was  set  in  motion.  The  feehng  passed 
up  to  the  head,  and  down  the  body  to  the  foot.  She  was  healed! 
and  she  was  grateful!  She  did  not  speak  of  her  experience  to 
the  family,  but  retired.  She  rose  early  the  next  morning,  and 
awoke  her  son, — a  prayerful,  dutiful  young  man, — and  said 
to  him,  "I'm  going  to  church,  to-day."  He  replied,  "Then 
I'll  get  up  and  go  with  you,"  expecting  that  she  must  ride. 

Her  soul  was  solemnly  full  that  day  of  the  felt  presence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  she  did  not  like  to  talk.  Her  son 
watched  her  movements,  astonished. 

She  went  to  the  church,  took  a  class  again  in  Sunday 
School,  and,  in  going  back  and  forth  to  church  that  day  and 
evening,  walked  about  sixty  blocks  without  weariness. 


24  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

We  are  not  permitted,  here,  to  draw  aside  the  curtain,  to 
dwell  upon  the  surprises  and  the  grateful  joy  of  that  ever-to° 
be-remembered,  sacred  day. 

A  few  days  after  this  healing,  she,  with  a  consciousness 
that  she  was  running  a  risk,  lifted  a  heavy  weight,  and  a 
numbness  returned.  She  confessed  the  sin  to  the  Lord,  and 
asked  Him  that,  when  she  had  been  sufficiently  chastened, 
He  would  take  the  trouble  away.  Gradually,  within  two 
days,  it  disappeared,  and  has  never  returned. 

At  the  time  when  Mrs.  Furlong  was  healed,  in  answer  to 
prayer.  Miss  Jordan's  case  was  considered  hopeless.  Her 
lungs  had  been  diseased  since  1876.  In  November,  1879, 
her  physician  had  decided  that  tubercles  had  formed  in  the 
left  lung,  and  that  the  right  lung  was  much  congested  and 
hardened. 

In  1882  she  had  many  hemorrhages,  and  gradually  grew 
worse,  so  that  she  could  not  use  her  left  arm  or  shoulder 
without  producing  hemorrhage. 

Mrs.  Furlong,  soon  after  her  own  healing,  received  a  corn- 
forting  assurance  from  the  Lord  that  her  sister  would  be 
healed;  but  Miss  Jordan,  herself,  had  not  that  assurance. 
At  this  time  she  took  little  or  no  medicines,  the  physicians 
and  the  family  having  no  confidence  in  their  curative  effect; 
but,  on  the  1st  of  January,  1884,  she  had  so  many  chills  and 
hemorrhages,  that  they  sent  for  the  family  physician  to  aid  in 
checking,  if  possible,  the  severe  attack. 

During  this  apparently  rapid  descent  deathward,  Mrs.  Fur- 
long continued  to  repeat  to  the  family  and  to  the  physicians 
that  the  Lord  would  heal  her  sister. 

Miss  Jordan  was  one  day  so  low  that  she  could  just  be 
aroused  to  take  her  medicine.  As  Mrs.  Furlong  went  to  give 
it,  Miss  Jordan  said  to  her,  "  Do  you  want  to  throw  that 
medicine  away?"  Mrs.  Furlong  said  "Yes,"  and  threw  it 
away.  Six  hours  of  united  waiting  upon  the  Lord  followed. 
They  were  hours  of  pain.  From  nine  in  the  morning  till 
three  in  the  afternoon  she  suffered  indescribable  pain,    A  few 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  25 

minutes  after  three,  the  pain  left  her,  and  with  a  bright  look 
she  said,  "I  believe  I'm  better."  She  wanted  to  rise  and 
dress,  but  Mrs.  Furlong  advised  her  to  rest  through  the  night. 
She  said  she  had  not,  in  five  years,  been  so  free  from  weari- 
ness and  pain» 

The  aged  mother  was  sick  in  bed  with  that  broken  wrist, 
and  Mrs.  Furlong  feared  that  her  sister's  improved  condition 
would  shock  and  perplex  her. 

Miss  Jordan  lay  on  the  lounge  the  most  of  the  time  for  two 
days.  One  of  her  expressions  was,  "It's  perfect  bliss  to  lie 
here  free  from  pain."  Her  breathing  became  perfectly  nat- 
ural, and  very  soon  the  great  hollow  place  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  chest,  over  the  left  lung,  filled  out.  Shortly  before  her 
healing  she  only  weighed  eighty  pounds ;  but  a  few  months 
after  her  weight  had  increased  to  one  hundred  and  twenty 
pounds. 

She  progressed  in  health  rapidly,  and  on  the  second  Sun- 
day after  the  healing  came  she  attended  church.  The  feeble 
mother  was  most  sensitively  anxious  lest  her  daughter  should 
pursue  some  unwarrantable  course  which  should  lead  to 
relapse. 

Miss  Jordan's  health  steadily  improved,  but  it  was  several 
months  before  a  cough  entirely  left  her.  You  may  be  sure 
that  doubters  made  the  most  of  that  cough!  But  it  left  her! 
At  one  time  she  brought  on  a  slight  relapse  by  giving  lessons 
m  crayon  drawing.  She  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
Lord  had  other  work  for  her  to  do:  and  at  this  writing, 
September,  1885,  having  prayerfully  and  watchfully  followed 
the  leadings  of  the  Lord,  is  a  missionary  among  the  freedmen 
of  the  South,  and  is  strong  in  health  and  in  faith,  "giving 
glory  to  God." 

One  of  the  aged  mother's  perplexities  was  that  the  Lord 
should  want  her  to  live  on  in  such  a  helpless  and  useless  con- 
dition, while  her  daughters,  who  might  be  so  useful,  must  die; 
but  oh,  how  successful  she  had  by  precept  and  example  taught 
tnose  daughters  that  "He  hath  done  all  things  well i "    How 


W  Ai«SWEKS   TO   PRAYERo 

patiently  she  suffered  whatever  she  thought  was  the  Lord';i 
will!  How  sweet  was  her  constant  thanksgiving!  Said  a 
pious  Christian  neighbor,  whose  poor  health  restricted  her 
attendance  at  church,  "When  I'm  hungry  for  a  blessing  I  go 
down  to  see  old  lady  Jordan," 

After  eight  painful  weeks,  she  so  far  recovered  from  the 
sickness  consequent  on  the  broken  and  dislocated  wrist  as  to 
move  around  feebly,  but  sight  and  hearing  were  almost  gone. 
Her  leg  was  stiff,  her  hand  stiff,  her  wrist  deformed,  and  her 
mind  greatly  impaired. 

Miss  Jordan  became  very  hopeful,  and  received  strong 
assurance,  in  answer  to  prayer,  that  her  mother  might  be 
healed.  Mrs.  Furlong  received  no  assurance  whatever  in  her 
mother's  case.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  talking  and  pray- 
mg  about  it,  in  the  family,  and  finally  Mrs.  Jordan  humbly 
claimed  the  Lord's  help,  beseeching  Him  that  since  He  had 
recorded  that  He  would  make  the  blind  to  see,  the  lame  to 
walk,  and  the  deaf  to  hear,  if  it  was  His  will  He  would  heal 
her.     This  was  the  night  of  June  16th,  1884. 

In  the  morning  Miss  Jordan  was  so  hopeful  that  she  rose 
early,  and  attentively  listened  to  the  movements  in  her 
mother's  room.  She  called  the  little  family's  attention  to 
them,  saying,  "Just  listen  to  her;"  and  as,  holding  on  by  the 
banister,  the  aged  mother  came  with  her  accustomed  slow 
movements  down  to  the  dining  room,  Miss  Jordan  said  to 
them,  "Now,  watch  her." 

According  to  the  long  habit  of  eight  years,  she  began  to 
reach  out  for  her  cane,  unconscious  that  she  had  been  walk- 
ing around  her  room  with  new  freedom.  Miss  Jordan  went 
toward  her  and  said,  "Mother,  do  you  want  your  cane?"  and, 
wondering,  the  old  lady  walked  freely  into  the  dining  room. 
They  gathered  around  her,  and  said,  "Are  you  not  healed, 
mother?"  and  she  began  to  think  she  tras,  and  sat  down  in  her 
chair  by  the  table.  Could  she  move  her  hand?  The  doubled - 
up  thumb,  and  straight,  stiff  finger,  were  j)erfectly  free  and  as 
limber  as  ever^  and  the  stiff  wrist  joint  moved  ivith  perfect  free- 


AlSfSWERS    ^5^  PRAYEE. 


27 


dom!  Bhe  heard  as  well  as  anijhodijl  Could  she  see?  She 
went  up-stairs  to  her  Bible,  whose  blurred,  dim  pages  she  had 
thought  closed  to  her  forever,  aod  she  coidd  read  as  well  as  tveVf 
and  without  glasses!  She  could  thread  the  finest  needle. 
Could  she  kneel  and  thank  the  Lord?  She  had  not  knelt  for 
eight  years.  Yes,  she  could  kneel  as  well  as  when  she  served 
the  Lord  in  her  youth ! 

Christian  reader,  stop  here  and  think  what  a  joyful  family 
that  was  that  June  morning.  That  aged  saint,  of  a  little 
more  than  85  years,  was  in  good  health  again !  And  her  two 
daughters  had  been  snatched  from  the  jaws  of  death  I  What 
a  triumph  of  blessed  memories  to  leave  in  legacy  to  that 
young,  hopeful,  Christian  son,  who,  in  childhood,  had  himself 
repeatedly  proved  that  the  Lord  hears  and  answers  prayer! 

Mrs.  Jordan  has  never  used  cane  or  crutch  since  that 
morning.  She  has  frequently  walked  five  blocks,  to  go  to  her 
church;  and,  a  few  weeks  after  her  heahng,  she  one  day 
walked  the  distance  of  about  fifteen  blocks.  She  has  walked 
for  hours  in  Lincoln  Park,  among  the  plants  and  flowers,  and 
she  goes  up  and  down  stairs,  and  wherever  she  likes,  as  well 
as  anyone. 

She  has  the  use  of  her  faculties,  and  an  altogether  com- 
fortable use  of  her  sight,  though  that  is  not  so  acute  as  at 
first.  Her  earliest  joy  was  that  she  was  permitted  to  see  that 
the  Lord  had  some  purpose  in  sparing  her  so  long. 

Dear  Christian  reader,  shall  the  wonderful  manifestation  of 
that  "purpose"  strengthen  your  faith?    It  helps  me, 

"Is  anything  too  hard  for  the  Lord?"  "No  good  thing  will 
He  withhold  from  them  that  walk  uprightly."  "If  ye  then, 
being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children, 
how  much  more  shall  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  give 
good  things  to  them  that  ask  Him,"  "If  we  hve  by  the 
Spirit,  let  us  also  walk  by  the  Spirit." 
In  the  hopes  of  the  Gospel, 

Miss  E,  Dktee. 

150  Madison  St.,  Chicago, 


2§  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Almost  a  Bankrupt. 

A  prominent  Christian  had  just  entered  a  merchant's 
counting-room,  when  the  head  man  of  the  place  said  to  him, 
"Let  us  kneel  and  ask  God  to  help  me  through,  for  without 
his  help,  I  shall  be  a  bankrupt  before  the  setting  of  the  sun." 
So  they  knelt  and  prayed.  That  man  went  through  the  press, 
ure,  and  did  not  become  a  bankrupt. 


''  He  Could  Not  Flee  from  the  Power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit." 

A  clergyman  of  distinction  gives  this  instance  of  the  worth 
lessness  of  all  attempts  to  flee  from  the  Power  of  the  Spirit. 

"  I  looked  out  of  my  window  one  morning,  while  it  was  yet 
dark,  and  saw  a  lady  standing  at  my  gate,  leaning  against  a 
post,  and  evidently  weeping  bitterly.  I  knew  her.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  church;  and  was  an  earnest,  consistent 
Christian.  She  was  married  to  one  of  the  most  bitter  Uni- 
versalists  I  ever  knew.  I  stepped  down  the  steps  to  her,  and 
asked,  '  What  is  the  matter  ?  '  She  replied,  '  Oh,  my  poor  hus- 
band !  I  had  so  hoped  and  prayed  that  he  might  be  converted 
in  this  revival !  and  now  he  has  rode  away,  and  says  that  he 
wlll  not  come  hack  till  this  religious  flurry  is  over.  What 
shall  I  do  to  bear  up  under  this  ? ' 

"  I  said,  '  It  is  near  the  time  for  prayer.  We  will  go  and 
lay  his  case  before  the  Lord,  and  make  special  request  that 
God  will  bring  him  back  again  under  the  power  of  the  Spirit. 
The  Lord  can  bring  him  home,  and  I  believe  He  will  do  it. 
We  must  pray  for  him.' 

''She  dried  her  tears  in  a  moment,  and  seemed  to  seize  hold 
of  this  '  strong  hope,'  as  we  walked  to  the  place  of  prayer. 
We  found  the  room  crowded.  It  fell  to  my  lot  to  lead  the 
meeting. 

"At  the  opening,  I  stated  the  case  of  this  Universalist 
husband,  who  had  undertaken  to  run  away  from  the  influence 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  2^ 

of  the  Spirit,  by  fleeing  into  the  country.  I  said  that  we 
must  all  pray  that  the  Holy  Spirit  miay  follow  him,  overtake 
him,  and  bring  him  hack  again,  show  him  his  sins,  and  lead 
him  to  Jesus. 

"  The  meeting  took  up  the  case  with  great  earnestness,  and 
I  could  not  but  feel  that  prayer  would  in  some  way  be  an- 
swered. 

.  "  But  can  you  imagine  our  surprise  when,  at  our  evening 
'prayer  meeting,  this  same  Universalist  came  in  ? 

"  After  standing  a  few  minutes,  till  the  opportunity  offered,, 
he  said : 

"  ^  I  went  away  on  horseback  this  morning,  and  told  my 
wife  I  was  going  into  the  country  to  stay  till  this  flurry  was- 
over.  I  rode  right  over  the  hills,  back  from  the  river,  into 
the  country,  till  I  had  got  eighteen  miles  away.  There,  07i  the 
top  of  a  hill,  I  teas  stopped  as  Paul  was,  and  just  as  sud- 
denly, and  made  to  feel  what  a  horrible  sinner  I  am.  I  am 
one  of  the  worst  sinners  that  ever  lived.  I  have  lost  my  Uni^ 
versalism,  and  I  know  I  must  be  born  again,  or  I  can  never 
see  the  kingdom  of  Heaven.  Oh,  pray  for  me  that  I  may  be 
converted  ;  nothing  else  will  do  for  me.^ 

*'  He  took  his  seat  amid  the  tears  and  sobs  of  the  whole  as- 
sembly. The  hour  was  full  of  prayer  for  that  man's  conver- 
sion. 

"  This  strong  and  intelligent  man,  once  one  of  the  bitterest 
Universalists  I  ever  knew,  is  now  an  elder  in  a  Presbyterian 
church,  and  one  of  the  most  joyous,  happy,  energetic  men  of 
God  you  will  meet  in  many  a  day.  He  believes  he  was  '  con- 
verted on  the  spot  in  that  prayer  meeting.' " 

Life  Brought  Back  Again  in  the  Midst 
of  Death. 

The  following  instance,  when  death  itself  was  made  to  give 
back  the  life  it  claimed,  is  personally  known  to  us  to  be  true  : 
A  mother,  in  this  city,  sent  a  request  for  prayer  to  the  FuU 


30  ANSWERS    TO    PRATER. 

ton  street  prayer-meeting,  asking  the  Lord  for  the  recovery 
of  her  daughter,  who  was  sinking  rapidly,  and  who  she  felt 
was  almost  dying. 

Her  husband,  an  eminent  physician,  and  others,  also,  the 
most  skilled  physicians  of  the  city,  gave  up  the  case  as  hope- 
less. The  mother  felt  that  now  none  but  God  could  or  would 
help ;  that  in  the  Fulton  street  prayer-meeting  were  sympa- 
thizing friends,  and  to  it  sent  her  request.  She  came  to  the 
meeting  herself,  to  join  in  their  prayers  and  testify  her  faith. 
The  moments  of  the  meeting  passed  on.  One  request  after 
another  was  read,  but  hers  was  not  touched.  She  was  sadly  dis- 
appointed. Her  child  was  so  weak  and  almost  dying,  it  could 
not  live  the  day  through,  perhaps.  The  time  was  within  a 
few  minutes,  less  than  three,  of  the  close  of  the  meeting.  She, 
at  last,  with  faltering  steps  and  palpitating  heart,  pressed  her 
way  to  the  desk  and  asked  if  her  request  was  there.  Upon 
search,  it  was  found  that  it  had  been  overlooked.  Too  late, 
said  the  leader,  to  read  it  to-day.  See,  the  clock  is  at  its  last 
moment  ;  but  it  shall  be  read  first  thing  at  12  o'clock,  to- 
morrow, and  special  prayer  shall  be  offered  immediately. 

With  what  heavy  heart  the  mother  went  away,  back  to  the 
chamber  of  the  dying  one,  none  can  ever  know.  ^11  night 
the  waiting  ones  watched,  with  their  ceaseless  attentions  and 
silent  prayers. 

A  few  minutes  before  12  o'clock  the  body  sank,  the  eyes 
closed,  pallor  came  over  the  features,  the  spirit  seemed  gone, 
^nd  all  luas  still ;  not  a  breath,  not  a  motio7i — death  bad 
come. 

The  mother  had  taken  her  watch,  hung  it  on  the  pillow  of 
the  bed,  and  with  streaming  eyes,  yet  ceaseless  prayer,  they 
watched  the  slow  finger  move  to  12  o'clock.  At  precisely 
twelve,  all  joined  in  prayer,  lifting  their  hearts  to  God.  At 
fifteen  minutes  past  twelve,  the  daughter  opened  her  eyes,  saj-- 
ing,  "Mother,  I  feel  better^''  then  sank  into  sleep,  breathing 
steadily  ;  after  three  hours  awoke  to  consciousness  and  sat  up 
in  bed,  and  before  night  was  able  to  walk  the  floor  of  her 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  31 

c-h amber.  Prayer  brought  that  life  back,  even  when  death  had 
taken  it.  At  the  ver'i/  moment  when  that  precious  jprayer  was 
offered  in  the  meeting,  the  Lord  came  and  touched  the  dying 
onCj  and  gave  it  new  life.  The  mother's  faith  and  prayer  was 
honored,  and  the  Lord  remembered  his  promise,  "  If  ye  be- 
lieve, ye  shall  see  the  glory  of  GodP  The  same  Lord  who 
raised  Lazarus  and  bade  him  come  forth,  also  came  and  bade 
this  precious  life  come  back  again  to  earth. 

Saved  from  the  Hands  of  a  Desperado.  ^^ 

The  following  circumstance  is  communicated  to  us  by  a 
United  States  Surgeon  : 

^'After  the  close  of  the  Mexican  war,  and  in  the  year  1849, 
a  train  was  sent  out  from  San  Antonio  to  establish  military 
posts  on  the  upper  E.io  Grande,  particularly  at  El  Paso.  I 
was  surgeon  of  the  quartermaster's  department,  numbering 
about  four  hundred  men.  While  the  train  was  making  up, 
the  cholera  prevailed  in  camp,  for  about  six  weeks,  at  first 
with  terrible  severity.  On  the  1st  of  June  it  had  so  far  sub- 
sided that  we  took  up  the  line  of  march.  After  about  four 
days  out  from  San  Antonio,  the  health  of  the  men  became 
very  good,  and  continued  so  through  the  whole  route,  with  the 
exception  of  occasional  cases  of  prostration  from  heat,  and 
slight  fevers,  the  Summer  being  unusually  hot.  One  even- 
ing in  July,  after  coming  into  camp,  I  received  a  call  to  see 
a  man  who  had  been  taken  sick  on  the  march.  I  found  him 
lying  under  his  wagon.  The  wagon  was  loaded  with  bacon, 
in  bulk  about  two  tons.  The  heat  with  the  pressure  had 
caused  it  to  drip  freely.  I  asked  him  to  come  from  under 
the  wagon,  that  I  might  examine  his  case  and  prescribe  for 
him.  This  he  refused  to  do;  but  demanded  that  I  should 
crawl  under  the  wagon  to  him,  which  I,  of  course,  would  not 
consent  to  do.  No  persuasion  could  induce  him  to  change  his 
position  in  the  least.  Becoming  satisfied  that  he  was  not 
much,  if  at  all  sick,  I  left  him.     His  profanity,  threats  and 


32  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

imprecations  were  fearful.  Perhaps  it  would  be  well  to  give 
a  short  sketch  of  his  life  for  the  three  years  previous,  as  I 
learned  it  from  men  who  knew  him,  and  had  been  with  him 
for  considerable  portion  of  that  period.  He  went  to  Mexico, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  a  soldier  in  the  regular  army. 
When  his  term  of  service  expired,  he  was  discharged,  and 
sought  employment  in  the  quartermaster's  department,  as  a 
teamster.  He  had  the  reputation  of  being  a  thief,  a  robber 
and  an  assassin.  In  a  few  months  he  was  ignominiously  dis- 
charged from  the  service,  and,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he  came 
to  Texas,  and  sought  and  obtained  employment  as  teamster  in 
the  train  then  organizing  for  El  Paso.  But,  to  return  to  my 
narrative.  On  the  morning  after  the  occurrence  at  the  wagon, 
a  teamster  came  to  me  and  said,  in  a  hasty  and  abrupt  manner, 
^Doctor,  Mc  will  kill  you  to-day  or  to-night.  He  is  full  of 
rage,  and  muttering  terrible  threats.  He  was  out  very  early 
this  morning  and  emptied  his  six-shooter,  and  came  in  and 
reloaded  it  and  put  it  in  first-rate  order.'  I  said,  'Mc,  what's 
up  now  ? '  He  replied,  '  I  will  kill  that  d — d  old  doctor  to-day 
or  to-night ; '  and  he  will  do  it.  I  have  known  him  make 
threats  before,  and  have  never  known  him  fail  to  execute 
them.  But  I  must  go ;  he  must  not  know  that  I  have  seen 
you.'  Knowing  the  man,  I  realized  the  danger,  and  felt  that 
I  was  powerless,  either  to  resist  or  avoid  it,  I  retired  within 
my  tent  and  closed  it  up.  I  prostrated  myself  before  Him 
who  is  able  to  save.  I  prayed  for  deliverance  from  the  hands 
of  the  cruel  and  blood-thirsty  man,  and  that  I  might  not  be 
left  in  the  power  of  him  who  was  my  enemy  without  cause. 
I  submitted  my  cause  into  the  hands  of  Him  who  doeth  all 
things  well,  and  prayed  for  entire  submission  to  his  will. 
My  anxiety  subsided  ;  my  fear  was  removed,  and  I  com- 
menced the  duties  of  the  day  with  usual  cheerfulness. 

"Soon  after  this,  the  camp  broke  and  we  were  on  the  march. 
I  fell  back  with  the  officers  of  the  rear  guard,  and  the  excite- 
ment of  the  morning  was-  soon  forgotten.  About  10  o'clock, 
a  courier  came  back  in  haste,  for  me  to  see  a  man  who  had 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  S3 

been  thrown  from  his  mule  and  crushed  under  the  wheels  of 
his  wagon.  He  did  not  know  who  the  man  was — he  was 
about  half  or  three-quarters  of  a  mile  ahead.  The  thought 
then  occurred  to  me,  I  shall  probably  have  to  pass  Mc's  team. 
I  will  ride  square  up  with  the  courier,  and  keep  him  between 
myself  and  the  train.  When  we  came  to  the  spot  I  inquired 
who  the  man  was,  for  he  was  so  mutilated  I  could  not  recog- 
nize him.  It  was  Mc.  God  teas  there.  Awe  and  terror  took 
hold  upon  me.     I  was  dumb  with  amazement.  , 

"  Mc  had  dismounted  and  walked  some  fifty  rods  by  the  side 
of  his  team.  Attempting  to  remount,  his  mule  whirled  and 
pitched,  and  he  was  thrown  upon  his  back,  and  his  team  with 
fourteen  others  instantly  stampeded.  Both  the  fore  and  hind 
wheels  on  the  near  side  of  his  wagon,  passed  directly  over  his 
face,  and  crushed  every  bone  in  his  head.  It  was  a  fearful 
sight ;  not  a  feature  of  the  human  face  could  be  discerned. 

"The  stampeded  teams  were  flying  wildly  over  the  prairie, 
in  spite  of  every  effort  of  the  teamsters  to  control  them. 

"  I  directed  the  head  of  the  corpse  to  be  inserted  in  some 
new,  thick  sacks,  in  such  a  way  as  to  prevent  the  oozing  of 
blood,  and  that  it  be  wrapped  in  his  blanket  and  taken  to  the 
next  camp  for  burial.  When  the  stampeded  teams  came  in, 
it  was  found  that  no  other  person  was  injured,  nor  any  dam- 
age done. 

"  The  philosopher  may  tell  us  of  the  reign  of  law  ;  of  the 
^oincidence  of  circumstances  ;  of  the  action  of  natural  causes 9 
but,  to  the  Christian,  the  fact  still  remains — prayer  was  aii- 
fewered.     God  heareth  his  people  when  they  cry  unto  Him.'* 

The  Prayer  of  a  Missionary  in  Mexico 
Answered.— Saved  from    Banditti. 

"In  the  Spring  of  1872,  I  was,  with  my  wi^fe  and  child,  in 

the  city  of  Cadereita,  Mexico,  where  we  had  been  laboring  as 

missionaries,  but  felt  it  was  our  duty  to  return  to  the  States 

/or  a  little  season,  and  had  been  asking  God  to  open  up  the 

3 


34  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

way  for  us.  At  length,  about  the  middle  of  March,  the  oppor- 
tunit}^  appeared  to  be  given,  the  means  being  provided  ;  but 
the  country  was  in  a  state  of  revolution  (a  no  uncommon 
thing  there),  and,  consequently,  there  were  no  stages  run- 
ning out  of  the  country,  so  we  had  to  take  conveyance  in 
Mexican  carts.  Therefore,  we  engaged  two  men,  with  their 
carts  ;  one  in  which  we  might  ride  and  carry  a  mattress, 
which  should  serve  as  a  bed  at  night,  and  the  other,  to  carry 
the  baggage  and  provisions  for  ourselves  and  the  horses,  as 
our  way  was  mostly  through  an  uncultivated  country. 

''We  knew  that  General  Cortinas,  with  his  troops,  was  some- 
where between  us  and  Texas,  as  the  State  we  were  in  was  one 
of  those  in  rebellion.  The  blood-thirsty  character  of  General 
Cortinas  is  well  known  on  the  frontier,  there  being  no  less 
than  seventeen  indictments  against  him  for  murder  in  the 
State  of  Texas.  He  is  regarded  as  having  a  special  hatred 
against  Americans,  and  the  Mexicans,  themselves,  stand  in 
terror  of  him. 

''Our  friends  and  brethren  in  Cadereita  tried  hard  to  deter 
us  from  going,  as  most  likely  we  would  fall  into  the  hands  of 
General  Cortinas;  in  which  event,  they  said,  the  very  utmost 
we  could  expect  would  be  to  escape  with  our  lives,  being  left 
destitute  of  everything,  in  a  wilderness  road  ;  but,  as  God  had 
seemed  to  open  up  the  way,  providing  the  means,  we  deter- 
mined to  go  forward,  trusting  that  He  also  would  protect  us 
in  the  way.  Therefore,  having  completed  our  arrangements, 
we  started  for  Matamoras,  some  three  hundred  miles  distant, 
on  the  19th  of  March,  the  wives  of  the  two  men  accompanying 
their  husbands,  making  our  party  six  adults  and  one  child ; 
^he  brethren,  in  Cadereita  promising  to  pray  daily  for  our 
safety.  The  third  morning,  after  commending  ourselves,  as 
usual,  into  the  care  of  our  covenant-keeping  God,  we  started 
on  our  journey.  Some  two  hours  later,  we  espied  the  troops 
of  General  Cortinas,  about  two  miles  distant,  marching  toward 
us.  We  again  all  looked  to  God  for  protection,  and  prayed 
that,  as  he  shut  the  mouths  of  the  lions,  that  they  should  not 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  35 

hurt  his  servant  Daniel,  so  He  would  now  restrain  the  evil 
passions  of  men,  that  they  might  not  hurt  nor  injure  us — then 
we  went  on  till  we  met  the  advance  guard,  who  commanded 
us  to  halt  and  wait  till  the  General  came  up.  After  nearly 
half  an  hour,  General  Cortinas,  with  his  escort,  rode  up  to 
where  we  were  waiting  for  him.  After  the  ordinary  saluta- 
tion, he  asked:  {l,de  adonde  vienen  y  adonde  van?)  ^From 
whence  have  you  come,  and  where  are  you  going  ? ' — to  which 
we  replied  properly ;  then  he  asked  :  '  What  is  the  news 
from  Nueva  Leon  ?  '  (the  State  we  left) — to  which  we  replied 
as  faithfully  as  we  could.  Then  I  asked  him,  '  Is  the  road 
safe  between  us  and  Matamoras  ? '  He  replied  :  '  Perfectly ; 
you  can  go  on  without  any  fear,  and  as  safely  as  you  would  in 
your  own  country.'  Then,  bidding  us  '  good  morning,'  he 
rode  on,  not  even  inquiring  about  or  examining  any  of  our 


''When  we  arrived  in  Brownsville,  Texas,  and  told  of  how 
gentlemanly  General  Cortinas  had  treated  us,  all  pronounced 
it  wonderful,  and  said,  '  We  could  not  have  believed  General 
Cortinas  capable  of  such  kindness  to  Americans  so  in  his 
power.  It  was  truly  a  miracle.'  We  believed  that  it  was 
God  who  restrained  the  naturally  vicious  passions  of  the  man, 
in  direct  answer  to  prayer." 

An  Infidel's  Life  Spared  a  Few  Days. 

"During  the  Summer  of  1862,  I  became  acquainted  with  a 

Mr.  A ,  who  professed  infidelity,  and  who  was,  I  think,  as 

near  an  atheist  as  any  I  ever  met.  I  held  several  conversa- 
tions with  him  on  the  subject  of  religion,  but  could  not  seem 
to  make  any  impression  on  his  mind,  and,  when  a  point  was 
pressed  strongly,  he  would  become  angry. 

"In  the  Fall,  he  was  taken  ill,  and  seemed  to  go  into  a  rapid 
decline.  I,  with  others,  sought  kindly  and  prayerfully  to  turn 
his  mind  to  his  need  of  a  Saviour,  but  only  met  with  rebuffs. 
As  I  saw  that  his  end  was  drawing  near,  one  day  I  pressed  the 


36  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

importance  of  preparing  to  meet  God,  when  he  became  angry 
and  said  I  need  not  trouble  myself  any  more  about  his  soul, 
as  there  was  no  God,  the  Bible  was  a  fable,  and  when  we  die 
that  is  the  last  of  us,  and  was  unwilling  that  I  should  pray 
with  him.     I  left  him,  feeling  very  sad. 

*'  Some  four  weeks  after,  on  New  Year's  morning,  I  awoke 

with  the  impression  that  I  should  go  and  see  Mr.  A ,  and 

I  could  not  get  rid  of  that  impression  ;  so,  about  nine  o'clock, 
I  went  to  see  him,  and,  as  I  approached  the  house,  I  saw  the 
two  doctors,  who  had  been  holding  a  consultation,  leaving. 
When  I  rang  the  bell,  his  sister-in-law  opened  the  door  for  me, 
and  exclaimed,  '  Oh  !  I  am  so  glad  you  have  come  ;  John  is 
dying.  The  doctors  say  he  cannot  possibly  live  above  two 
hours,  and  probably  not  one.'  When  I  went  up  to  his  room, 
he  sat  bolstered  up  in  a  chair,  and  appeared  to  have  fallen  into 
a  doze.  I  sat  down,  about  five  feet  from  him,  and  when,  in 
about  two  minutes,  he  opened  his  eyes  and  saw  me,  he  started 
up,  with  agony  pictured  on  his  face  and  in  the  tones  of  his 

voice,  exclaimed,  '  0 !  Mr.  P ,  I  am  not  prepared  to  die ; 

there  is  a  God  ;  the  Bible  is  true !  0,  pray  for  me  !  pray 
God  to  spare  me  a  few  days,  till  I  shall  know  I  am  saved.^ 

, "  These  words  were  uttered  with  the  intensest  emotion,  while 
his  whole  physical  frame  quivered  through  the  intense  agony 
of  his  soul.  I  replied  in  effect,  that  Jesus  was  a  great  Sav- 
iour, able  and  willing  to  save  all  who  would  come  unto  Him, 
even  at  the  eleventh  hour,  as  He  did  the  thief  on  the  cross. 

"When  I  was  about  to  pray  with  him,  he  again  entreated  me 
to  pray  especially  that  God  would  spare  him  a  few  days,  till 
he  might  have  the  evidences  of  his  salvation.  In  prayer,  I 
seemed  to  have  great  assurance  of  his  salvation,  and  asked 
God  to  give  us  the  evidence  of  his  salvation,  by  granting  him 
a  few  days  more  in  this  world.  Several  others  joined  in  pray- 
ing God  to  spare  him  a  few  days,  till  he  should  give  evidence 
of  being  saved. 

"I  called  again  in  the  evening;  he  seemed  even  stronger 
than  in  the  morning,  and  his  mind  was  seeking  the  truth. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  37 

The  next  day,  as  I  entered,  lis  face  expressed  the  fact  that 
peace  and  joy  had  taken  the  jilace  of  fear  and  anxiety.  He 
was  spared  some  five  days,  giving  very  clear  evidence  that  he 
had  passed  from  death  to  life.  His  case  was  a  great  mystery 
to  the  doctors.  They  could  not  understand  how  he  lived  so 
long  ;  but  his  friends,  who  had  been  praying  for  him,  all 
Relieved  it  was  in  direct  answer  to  prayer." 

Remarkable  Preservation  from  Brain 
Difficulties. 

^^  A  few  weeks  ago,  a  man  who  had  once  been  a  member  of 
my  church,  but  had  fallen  from  his  steadfastness  through 
strong  drink,  fell  from  a  ladder,  striking  his  head  on  the 
corner  of  a  stone,  which  made  a  dent  in  the  skull  of  over  two 
and  one-half  inches  in  length,  and  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in 
width,  and  half  an  inch  in  depth.  This  happened  on  Friday 
afternoon.  At  our  prayer-meeting,  in  the  evening,  most  earn- 
-est  prayers  were  offered  in  his  behalf ;  the  brethren  prayed 
that  God  would  restore  him  his  senses  and  spare  him  a  few 
days,  that  he  might  repent  of  his  back-sliding  and  be  saved. 

"  The  surgeons  raised  the  skull,  and  his  senses  were  restored  j 
his  mind  seemed  clear.  This  continued  over  a  week,  when 
at  was  evident  that  there  was  still  some  pressure  on  the  brain. 
The  surgeons  removed  the  skull,  and  found  three  pieces  driven 
down  into  the  brain.  They  expressed,  from  the  first,  no  hope 
of  his  recovery  ;  but  wondered  much  at  the  clearness  of  his 
mind,  which  continued  for  over  two  weeks.  We  believed  that 
it  was  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  the  church  that  he  might 
have  time  and  opportunity  to  repent  and  prepare  to  meet  God, 
which  we  trust  he  did." 

Little  George's  Prayer. 

A  clergyman  writes  us  these  incidents  : 
"  I  knew  a  poor  family  whose  son  George,  four  or  five  years 
old,  was  accustomed  to  pray.     They  lived  five  or  six  miles 


38  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

from  neighbors,  and,  at  times,  were  quite  destitute.  One  day^ 
as  little  George  observed  his  mother  weeping  over  their  desti- 
tution, he  said,  ''  Why,  mother,  don't  cry  any ;  we  shall  not 
starve  ;  God  will  send  us  something  to  eat,  I  know  He  will. 
I've  just  been  praying,  and  asked  Him  to."  The  little  fellow 
just  as  much  believed  God  would  send  them  food,  as  if  he  had 
asked  a  reliable  neighbor  and  obtained  his  promise  to  supply 
their  wants.  In  a  day  or  two  after  this,  some  friends  living 
at  a  distance  and  knowing  they  were  poor,  took  them  the  wel- 
come surprise  of  a  wagon-load  of  substantial  material  for  food 
and  other  comforts.  The  little  boy  grew  up  to  be  a  Christian 
minister,  and,  about  a  year  ago,  on  inquiry,  his  uncle  told  me 
he  had  been  at  the  head  of  an  institution  of  learning  in  the 
South-west." 

A  Prayer  for  a  Horse. 

^'  My  horse  died,  and,  after  traveling  through  the  snow-drifts 
to  my  appointments,  till  I  was  lame,  half  sick,  and  unfit  for 
service — as  I  had  not  means  to  purchase  a  horse,  I  thought  of 
quitting  the  work  and  going  to  teaching,  and  laid  the  matter 
before  God,  in  prayer;  soon  after  which,  some  person  at  a 
distance,  who  heard  that  I  had  lost  my  horse,  without  my  say- 
ing a  word  about  it,  raised  the  means  by  which  I  procured 
another." 

A  Prayer  for  a  'Wife. 

"  When  I  believed  it  would  be  well  for  me  to  seek  a  compan- 
ion for  life,  I  asked  of  God  direction  in  making  a  wise  choice, 
and  that,  in  a  matter  of  so  much  importance  to  me  and  others, 
I  might  meet  with  success  or  hindrance^  as  my  heavenly  Father 
knew  best.  He  led  me  to  a  choice  and  marriage,  which  I  have 
not  since  regretted." 

CliTircli  Troubles  Qnelled. 

*^  I  might  mention  a  dozen  instances  in  which  church  troubles 
were  gathering,  and  trials  between  members  appeared  certain,. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRATER.  39 

when  all  my  tactics  failed,  and  the  wisdom  of  brethren  was  of 
no  avail ;  my  last  resort  was  to  ask  God  to  send  help  and  deliver 
from  the  threatened  evil — and  in  ways  that  no  one  could  fore- 
see, complete  deliverance  came.'' 


A  Minister's  Supplies  Fall  Short. 

''When  very  much  in  need  of  funds  to  procure  supplies  for 
a  coming  Winter,  all  expedients  failed;  then  I  asked  God  for 
assistance,  when,  unexpectedly,  a  friend  in  California  sent  me 
a  little  package  of  gold  dust,  which  I  sold,  at  once,  for  $130. 
This  came  when  it  was  needed,  and  it  did  us  good." 

A  Prayer  for  a  Servant. 

"  Some  time  after,  we  failed  to  find  anything  like  suitable 
help  in  the  house,  which  we  greatly  needed.  Before  starting 
out  one  morning,  in  secret  I  prayed  to  God  to  direct  me  as  I 
went  on  my  uncertain  business,  and  prayed  as  I  called  at  dif- 
ferent places,  and  soon  found  a  colored  girl  sixteen  years  old 
wanting  a  place,  who  came  and  proved  to  be  the  best  help  we 
ever  had,  before  or  since.  For  seven  years  and  a  half  she 
lived  in  the  family,  taught  two  of  our  children  to  read;  was 
glad,  from  choice,  to  move  with  us  to  different  places,  till  she 
left  to  be  married,  fell  sick  and  passed  away.  A  dozen  other 
times  when  driven  in  straits,  in  answer  to  prai/er  God  has 
enabled  us  to  i:)rocure  necessary  help,  which  was  difficult  to 
obtain. 

''  In  1874,  while  on  my  way  to  see  my  mother  in  Pennsylva- 
nia— who  had  just  been  paralyzed,  and  died  the  next  week — 
I  was  suddenly  paralyzed  in  my  left  arm,  by  which,  I  have 
since  been  helpless  and  useless.  After  coming  here  to  live, 
being  in  want  of  a  man  to  lift  me  in  and  out  of  bed,  dress 
me,  etc.,  for  which  we  inquired  of  people,  and  prayed  to  God 
to  send  us  the  needed  help.  We  had  not  means  to  hire  and 
pay  any  person  to  do  such  work,  even  if  he  could  be  found. 


40  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Soon  the  right  one  came,  in  the  person  of  a  young  German, 
who  was  tramping  through  the  country  in  search  of  employ- 
ment and  food  ;  was  ready  and  glad  to  do  any  work  for  a  liv- 
ing. For  pay  that  satisfied  him  and  us,  he  staid  in  the  fam- 
ily over  a  year,  working  out  doors  and  in ;  could  be  trusted 
to  do  business  with  money,  and  return  every  cent  correctly. 
After  being  with  us  over  a  year,  when  we  needed  him  no  longer, 
he  obtained  a  situation  in  a  good  family,  where  he  is  now  liv- 
ing. In  many  instances,  I  have  prayed  to  be  healed  of  spe- 
cial sickness,  always  using  what  remedies  I  thought  best,  yet 
asking  the  divine  blessing  on  their  use." 

Healing. 

"  For  over  three  years,  I  was  troubled  with  frequent  raising 
of  blood  from  my  right  lung,  which  physicians  failed  to  cure. 
Of  this  I  prayed  to  be  relieved  ;  after  which,  the  soreness 
healed,  and  for  several  years  it  has  ceased  to  trouble  me.'^ 

That  $18.75. 

A  man  who  had  led  a  very  wicked  life,  was  converted  and 
hopefully  saved.  Previous  to  this  time,  a  debt  of  $18.75  had 
not  given  him  the  slightest  thought.  After  receiving  a  new 
heart,  he  distinctly  heard  God's  command,  "Pay  what  thou 
owest ;  "  so  called  on  his  creditor,  and  urged  him  to  send  to 
his  house  and  get  a  bureau,  table  and  looking-glass,  which  he 
desired  him  to  sell  and  pay  himself  the  sum  due  him  ;  but, 
not  wishing  to  deprive  his  debtor  of  such  necessary  articles, 
refused,  saying  he  would  wait  till  he  could  pay.  The  18th  of 
November  was  set,  and,  as  the  day  approached,  the  prospect 
was  no  brighter ;  and  when  the  night  of  the  17th  came  around, 
he  spent  it  in  prayer  that  God  would  deliver  him,  and  rose 
from  his  knees  at  daybreak,  with  the  full  assurance  that  "  He 
knoweth  how  to  deliver." 

On  passing  down  a  street  the  next  morning,  on  his  way  to 


ANSWERS    rc     PRAYER.  41 

business,  a  man  who  kept  a  large  store  was  standing  in  the 
<loor-way,  and  called  to  him  to  stop  a  minute.  Wondering 
what  could  be  the  nature  of  the  call,  he  retraced  his  steps,  to 
hear  this  astonishing  news  :  "  For  three  days  I  have  been  iin- 
pressed  tvith  the  idea  that  I  must  give  you  $18.75,  and  for 
three  days  have  been  trying  to  ascertain  tvhy  I  must  give  you 
this  amount,  for  I  do  not  owe  any  man  a  penny.  I  cannot 
get  rid  of  the  thought,  and  if  you  value  my  peace  of  mind, 
I  beg  you  take  the  money  ! "  Seeing,  instantly,  the  hand  of 
God  in  it,  he  told  ihe  story  to  the  astonished  storekeeper,  then 
left  to  pay  his  debt  with  the  money  so  strangely  given.  His 
creditor,  surjmsed  to  see  him  so  promptly  on  time,  questioned 
him  as  to  the  manner  of  obtaining  it,  thinking,  perhaps,  he 
had  made  a  great  sacrifice  to  do  so.  On  being  told  just  how 
it  was  given  him,  said,  "  /  luonH  take  it  ;  keep  it.  If  God  is 
as  near  to  people  as  that,  I  donH  tuant  it ;  it  seems  as  if  it 
had  come  directly  from  his  Almighty  hand.''"'  The  result  was 
the  conversion  of  both  the  storekeeper  and  creditor,  to  whom 
the  incident  came  as  the  undoubted  evidence  of  God's  pres- 
ence among  them. 

God  Sent  the  Bag  of  Flour. 

In  about  the  year  1830,  in  Centra?  New  York,  there  was  a 
time  of  great  scarcity  of  provisions.  Grain  was  very  high, 
and  difficult  to  be  obtained  at  any  price  ;  and,  of  course,  fam- 
ilies of  limited  means  were  very  much  straitened.  In  one 
family,  the  wife  and  mother  of  six  children,  a  Godly  woman, 
worked  at  her  trade  (tailoress)  to  the  extent  of  her  ability, 
and  prayed  earnestly  that  God  would  deliver  them  from  press- 
ing want.  Husband  and  children  all  knew  of  their  need,  and 
of  the  fervent  prayers  of  the  wife  and  mother  for  their  sup- 
ply; but  no  one  knew  by  what  means  the  supply  was  to  come. 
Every  day,  as  their  scanty  means  were  being  consumed,  the 
prospect  grew  darker.  On  the  farm  was  a  large  quantity  of 
pine  timber.     Four  miles  from  there,  in  the  next  town,  lived 


42  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

a  man  who  needed  some  shingles ;  and,  casting  about  him  to 
see  where  he  should  obtain  a  supply,  thought  he  would  go 
and  purchase  a  pine  tree,  and  himself  and  man  go  into  the 
woods  and  work  it  up  into  shingles.  As  he  was  about  start- 
ing, the  thought  occurred  to  him,  ''  Perhaps  they  may  be  in 
want  of  wheat  flour — a  bag  cannot  come  amiss  in  this  time  of 
scarcity."  So,  putting  two  bushels  in  a  bag,  he  proceeded  to 
the  next  town,  entered  the  house,  and  made  known  his  errand^ 
saying,  "I  have  brought  along  two  bushels  of  flour  towards 
paying  for  the  tree,  thinking  you  might  be  in  want  of  it  in 
this  time  of  scarcity,  and  I  knew  you  live  six  or  seven  miles 
from  the  mill,  and  have  no  horse."  ''That  is  in  answer  to 
prayer,"  said  the  noble  woman ;  and  the  husband  believed  it. 
though  not  a  praying  man.  When,  at  night,  the  oldest  son 
came  in,  the  mother  said  to  him,  "  God  has  answered  our 
prayers,  and  sent  a  bag  of  flour."  It  is  believed  that,  while 
ihis  was  not  miraculous,  it  was  as  directly  the  interposition  of 
God,  as  feeding  Elijah  by  the  ravens  ;  and  it  was  in  direct 
answer  to  prayer  for  that  special  blessing." 

Incidents  from  the  Experience  of  a  City 

Missionary.— A  Prayer  for  Supper 

Answered. 

An  educated,  accomplished  lady,  reduced  to  the  very  lowest 

round  of  poverty's  ladder,  whom  we  shall  call  Mrs.  X . 

bears  unfailing  testimony  to  God's  hearing  and  answering 
the  prayer  of  faith.  The  daughter  came  up-stairs  one  day 
to  announce  the  utter  emptiness  of  the  larder.  There  was  not 
even  a  piece  of  dry  bread,  nor  a  drawing  of  tea ;  not  a  potato, 
nor  a  bean  ;  and  "  Charles,  jwor  fellow,  will  come  home  from 
his  work  at  six,  tired  and  so  hungry  ;  what  shall  we  do, 
mother  ?  " 

"  The  Lord  will  send  us  something,  before  he  comes,"  said 

Mrs.  X .     So,  for  three  hours  more  the  daughter  waited. 

"  Mother,  it  is  five  o'clock,  and  the  Lord  has  not  sent  us  any- 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  43 

thing."  "He  will,  my  dear,  before  half-past  six  ;  "  and  the 
widow  went  in  an  adjoining  room,  to  ask  that  her  daughter 
might  not  feel  it  vain  to  call  upon  God.  In  fifteen  minutes, 
the  door-bell  rang  violently,  and  a  gentleman,  valise  in  hand, 

said,  "  Mrs.  X ,  I  left  the  room  which  I  hired  of  you  one 

year  ago,  in  a  great  hurry,  you  will  remember ;  and  I  owed 
you  five  dollars.  I  have  not  been  in  the  city  since,  and  am 
rushing  out  of  it  again — ^jumped  off  the  car  just  to  give  you 
this  money.     Good-bye." 

Relief  from  a  Creditor's  Demands. 

"  At  another  time,  being  sorely  pressed  by  a  heartless  cred' 
itor,  and  almost  beside  herself,  she  concluded  to  walk  out  and 
get  free  from  the  insupportable  burden,  by  change  of  air  and 
scene  for  two  or  three  hours.  Passing  the  house  of  a  friend, 
just  returned  from  Europe,  she  called  for  a  few  moments,  and 
was  presented  with  a  small  and  peculiar  plant,  brought  from 
Wales.  All  the  way  home  she  was  asking  the  Lord  to  release 
her  from  this  relentless  creditor,  and  all  the  way  home  a  man, 
without  her  knowledge,  was  following  her.  Arrived  at  her 
own  stoop,  he  suddenly  confronted  her,  bowed,  apologized  for 
the  liberty,  but  said  he  had  not  had  a  sight  of  that  dear  old 
plant  since  he  left  home  ;  and  if  she  would  sell  it  to  him,  he 
would  gladly  give  her  ten  dollars  for  it.  As  that  was  half  the 
sum  for  which  she  was  persecuted,  and  would  probably  relieve 
her  from  annoyance  until  she  could  raise  the  balance,  she 
accepted  the  offer." 

Two  Hundred  Dollars  Needed  and  G-iven 
at  the  Last  Moment. 

"At  the  time  of  her  husband's  death,  there  were  tivo  hun- 
dred dollars  due  an  institute,  for  board  and  tuition  of  their 
two  little  boys.  His  death  was  the  flood-gate  opened,  which 
let  in  a  successive  torrent  of  perplexities,  losses,  dilemmas, 


14  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

delays,  law-suits,  etc.  She  had  not  been  able  to  pay  that  bill ; 
the  principal  was  importunate,  persevering,  bitter,  and,  at  last, 
abusive.  She  cried  to  the  Lord  for  a  week,  day  and  night, 
almost  without  ceasing.  Then,  a  gentleman  whom  she  had 
taken  to  her  own  house  and  carefully  nursed  through  a  dan- 
gerous illness,  three  years  before,  called  to  say  good-bye.  He 
was  on  his  wa}^  to  a  Bremen  steamer,  and  all  other  adieus  were 
said,  all  his  baggage  on  board,  except  tlie  valise  in  his  hand. 
Might  her  boy  ride  down  to  the  wharf  and  see  him  off  ?  Of 
course  she  was  glad  to  consent.  When  her  son  returned  he 
brought  back  a  letter,  which  opened,  she  found  to  contain  two 
hundred  dollars  and  the  words,  'Not  that  money  can  ever 
express  my  gratitude,  but  the  enclosed  may  be  useful  for  gas- 
bills  or  some  other  little  household  matter. ' " 


How  the  Lord  Repaid  a  Generous  G-ift. 

"  Some  gentlemen,  urged  to  contribute  to  a  most  worthy 
cause,  said,  '  Go  first  to  Mr.  Z. — whatever  he  gives,  we  will.' 
Mr.  Z.,  upon  application,  concluded  to  make  his  neighbors  do 
something  worth  while,  and,  as  he  was  expecting  a  thousand 
dollars  in  a  very  few  days,  subscribed  the  whole  of  that.  Upon 
the  arrival  of  the  vessel  which  was  to  pay  his  subscription,  he 
found  the  difference  in  exchange  between  certain  countries, 
had  swelled  his  thousand  dollars  to  twenty-ttvo  hundred.^^ 


The  Astonished  G-iver. 

"A  gentleman,  not  marching  in  the  ranks  of  'cheerful  giv- 
crs,'  was  urged  to  bestow  five  dollars  toward  the  'Fresh  Air 
Fund.'  'He  could  not;  business  wretched ;  poor  enough  him- 
self,' and  all  the  well  known  line  of  excuses.  The  friend 
assured  him,  if  the  Lord  did  not  more  than  make  it  up  to 
him,  before  the  end  of  the  week,  he  himself  would  return  tl^e 
money.  To  those  terms  he  agreed,  quite  sure  he  should  caU 
on  Saturday  and  get  back  the  $5.     But,  the  very  next  morn- 


ANSWERS    TO    PKAYER.  45 

ing,  he  ran  to  the  office  of  his  friend  to  say  that  an  old  debt^ 
given  up  long  ago,  and  for  which  he  would  have  taken  one 
hundred  dollars  any  moment,  was  paid  him  about  an  hour 
after  the  friend  left  his  store.  So  astonished  was  he,  that  he 
even  doubted  the  check,  which  was  for  five  thousand  dollars^ 
and  sent  it  to  the  bank  to  test  its  genuineness  before  he 
would  give  a  receipt  for  it ! " 

All  Saved. 

In  a  dismal  basement,  A.  found  a  very  interesting  Amer- 
ican family.  The  father,  in  the  last  stage  of  consumption  ;  a 
little  girl  of  ten  years,  an  invalid  from  infancy.  The  mother 
and  two  daughters,  both  under  fifteen,  were  out  all  day  at 
work,  trying  to  keep  even  such  a  wretched  shelter,  and  a  lit- 
tle coarse  food,  as  daily  supplies.  The  three  together  could 
not  make  over  four  dollars  a  week.  The  only  person  to  wait 
on  the  two  sick  ones  during  the  day,  was  a  little  boy  four  years 
of  age,  who,  when  the  missionary  entered,  was  reclining  upon 
the  bed.  But  he  started  up,  put  more  coal  on  the  fire,  and 
brought  a  drink  of  water,  first  to  his  sister,  then  his  father  j 
without  any  bidding,  and  with  the  consideration  of  a  grown 
person. 

On  A.'s  next  visit,  a  few  days  after,  he  found  the  mother 
at  home,  grief-stricken.  Her  eldest  daughter  had  been  taken 
ill  the  day  previous.  He  gave  her  all  the  money  he  had, 
prayed  with  them,  and  sent  at  once  a  kind,  assiduous  physi- 
cian. In  a  few  weeks  the  daughter  died,  but  not  without  a 
good  hope  in  Christ ;  and  was  buried  at  the  expense  of  the 
few  kind  friends  whom  A.  had  sent  to  see  the  family.  The 
dying  daughter  exhorted  her  dying  father  to  seek  his  soul's 
eternal  welfare,  and  not  boast,  as  heretofore,  of  his  life-long 
morality.  Her  conversations  led  him  to  see  his  danger  out 
of  Christ,  and,  in  a  little  while  after  his  daughter's  departure, 
he  followed.  The  mother  had  not  before  had  a  sure  Christian 
hope ;  but,  amidst  such  influences,  her  heart  was  soon  opened 


46  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

to  admit  the  truth.  Not  long  after  her  bereavement  she  began 
having  a  "cottage  prayer-meeting"  in  her  room,  and  united 
with  an  evangelical  church.  She  immediately  became  anxious 
for  the  conversion  of  her  two  boys,  who  were  away,  and  urged 
the  missionary  to  write  them.  He  did  so,  frequently,  and  his 
heaven-directed  appeals  led  one  of  the  boys  very  soon  to  Christ. 
Soon  after,  he  died  ;  the  brother  returned  home  with  consump- 
tion. He  took  great  pleasure  in  the  little  prayer-meetings, 
and  in  three  months  cheerfully  and  exultantly  exchanged  this 
world  of  suffering  for  the  one  where  father,  brother  and  sister 
awaited  him.  Worn  out  with  anxiety,  care,  hard  work  and 
poor  health,  the  mother  followed  ;  leaving  the  invalid  girl  and 
youngest  boy ;  who  are  watched  over,  not  only  by  their  Friend 
in  heaven,  but  friends  on  earth.  The  eldest  surviving  daugh- 
ter is  an  esteemed  and  consistent  member  of  a  church  of 
Christ. 


*'Tlie  Lord  Woke  Me  Up  in  Time  to  Save 
My  Clotlies." 

In  the  very  top  of  a  four-story  building,  used  only  for  vari- 
ous manufacturing  purposes,  lived  an  old  man  and  daughter. 
They  lived  literally  hj  faith  in  Christ,  horn  day  to  day  ;  one 
hour  at  a  time.  At  his  voice,  followed  Him,  whether  into 
darkness  or  light.  Neither  took  a  step  but  as  they  held  his 
hand.  A  lady  calling  one  day,  said,  "  Oh  !  Jennie,  I  thought 
of  your  large  wash  hanging  on  the  roof,  last  night,  when  the 
drenching  rain  came  ;  and  I  was  so  sorry  to  think  you  would 
have  your  hard  work  all  over  again!"  '^Oh!  no  ma^am,. 
The  Lord  woke  Die  up  out  of  a  sound  sleep,  just  as  the  first 
few  drops  fell!  I  hastened  up  and  brought  them  all  down 
nice  and  dr}^,  and  had  only  got  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs  with 
the  last  armful,  when  it  poured  down.  Now  that  was  the 
Lord,  ma'am,  for  there  was  not  a  single  noise  of  any  kind  to 
waken  me,  and  I  was  sound  asleep  ! " 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  47 

The  Lord  Takes  Away  the  Custom  of  a 
Liquor  Saloon. 

At  one  time,  the  landlord  rented  the  ground  floor  to  a  liq- 
uor seller.  The  loafers  going  in  and  out,  especially  on  Sun- 
day, were  a  great  grief  to  Jennie  and  her  saintly  old  father. 
They  concluded  to  take  it  to  the  Lord  together,  and,  said  the 
old  man,  '^  He  will  be  sure  to  attend  to  it ;  I  have  been  young, 
and  now  am  old,  and  I  have  never  known  Him  fail  me — He 
never  does."  hi  three  weeks  afteVj  the  dram-seller  closed  his 
place  for  ivant  of  jyatronage. 

Help  in  Time  of  Need. 

A  poor,  humble  Christian  woman  had  a  claim  on  some  prop- 
erty in  a  neighboring  State.  It  was  in  law,  and  she  was  sum- 
moned to  attend  court  at  a  certain  time.  Having  scarcely 
money  enough  for  her  daily  bread,  she  was  obliged  to  borrow 
the  means  to  take  her  there,  and  pay  some  cheap  board  while 
awaiting  the  conclusion  of  the  trial.  She  was  positively  assured 
by  the  lawyers,  that  she  would  receive  several  hundred  dollars. 
She  was  detained  five  weeks,  instead  of  one,  as  she  expected, 
and  then  the  suit  was  postponed  till  Fall.  She  was  in  agony 
of  mind  ;  in  a  strange  place — owing  for  board  and  washing, 
and  no  money  to  take  her  to  her  home.  Having  spent  a  whole 
night  pacing  the  floor  and  calling  on  the  Lord  to  redeem  his 
promises,  she  felt  the  fresh  air  would  do  her  good,  and  sadly 
took  her  way  down  a  side  street.  She  had  gone  but  three 
blocks  when  she  found  ti  diamond  ring.  Being  accustomed 
to  the  ownership  of  diamonds  in  her  younger  days,  she  knew 
very  nearly  its  value  ;  took  it  home,  watched  the  principal 
papers,  and  the  same  evening  saw  a  reward  of  seventy-five 
dollars  offered  for  it.  We  can  imagine  that  joy  lent  wings 
to  her  feet,  and  thanksgiving  filled  her  whole  heart.  The 
sum  was  sufficient  to  pay  her  bills,  bring  her  back  and  return 
a  portion  of  the  borrowed  money. 


48  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Cast  Ont  Into  the  Street,  Yet  Not  For- 
saken. 

A  piteous  wail  was  heard  on  the  street  one  day,  and  a 
poor  Scotchman  crossed  over  to  see  the  trouble.  A  widow  and 
three  children  sat  on  their  few  articles  of  household  furniture. 
Pl.t  in  the  street,  when  they  could  no  longer  find  five  dollars 
iur  the  rent  of  the  kennel  in  which,  for  six  months,  they  had 
not  lived,  but  existed.  He  had  just  received  five  dollars  for 
a  piece  of  work,  and  was  hurrying  home  with  it  to  his  sick 
wife,  crippled  mother  and  two  children.  He  thought  of  the 
piece  of  meat — a  long  untasted  luxury — he  meant  to  buy  ;  of 
the  tea  his  mother  so  much  craved,  and  hesitated.  Could  he 
give  these  up  ?  But  the  streaming  eyes  of  the  children,  and 
the  mute  despair  on  the  face  of  the  mother,  took  down  the 
scale.  He  ran  several  blocks  and  found  an  empty  basement ; 
hired  it  for  four  dollars  ;  enlisted  the  sympathy  and  help  of  a 
colored  boy  to  carry  the  furniture;  put  up  the  stove,  bought 
a  bundle  of  wood,  pail  of  coal,  and  some  provisions  with  the 
other  dollar  ;  held  a  little  prayer-meeting  on  the  spot,  «nnd  left 
with  the  benedictions  of  the  distressed  ones  filling  his  ears. 
The  recital  of  his  adventure  obliterated  for  the  time  all  sense 
of  their  own  desires,  and  they  thanked  God  together  that  their 
loss  had  been  the  widow's  gain.  The  next  morning,  while 
taking  their  frugal  meal,  a  tea  dealer,  for  whom  this  man  had 
frequently  put  up  shelves,  came  to  say  he  was  short-handed, 
and  if  the  Scotchman  was  not  very  busy,  he  would  give  him 
a  regular  position  in  his  establishment,  at  a  better  salary  than 
he  could  hope  to  earn.  Meanwhile,  Bearing  his  wife  was  sick, 
he  had  brought  her  a  couple  pounds  prime  tea,  and  it  occurred 
to  him  that  venison  steaks  were  a  little  out  of  the  ordinary 
run  of  meat,  and,  as  he  had  a  quantity  at  home,  he  brought  a 
couple.  Thus  the  Lord  answered  the  prayer  of  the  poor, 
and  repaid  the  generous  giver  who  sacrificed  his  money  for 
the  Lord. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER  49 

A  Persecutor  P-anished  by  the  Lord. 

A  most  devout,  hard-working  and  poorly  paid  man,  was  the 
object  of  constant  persecution  by  a  cross-grained,  uglj^,  infidel 
neighbor.  For  three  years  the  thing  went  on,  till  the  Chris- 
tian thought  he  must  remove  from  the  place.  He  could  not 
do  it  without  breaking  up  his  humble  home,  for  which  he  had 
worked  night  and  day.  He  and  his  wife  were  in  deep  dis- 
tress ;  told  their  plans  to  the  Lord  ;  asked  Him  to  direct  them, 
to  another  home,  and  then  went  to  a  newspaper  office  to  adver- 
tise their  little  place  for  sale.  The  editor  was  out,  and  they 
preferred  to  see  him — would  return  home  and  call  again  to- 
morrow. The  next  morning  the  infidel  was  found  dead  in 
his  bed,  from  a  stroke  of  apoplexy. 


How  G-od  Answered  My  Prayer  for  $90. 

^'  Suffice  it,  then,  I  was  in  debt.  I  was  owing  the  large 
sum  (large  for  a  poor  home  missionary)  of  $90.00.  Expecting 
soon  to  be  called  upon  for  the  payment  of  it,  and  not  seeing 
any  way  to  meet  it,  /  ivent  to  the  Lord  with  it.  Early  in  life 
I  had  made  this  resolution  :  that  no  man  whom  I  was  owing 
should  ever  ask  me  for  money,  and  I  not  pay  him ;  but  now, 
I  could  see  no  way  out ;  and  if,  as  I  expected,  it  should  ;be 
demanded,  I  was  not  in  a  condition  to  meet  it.  Such  was  my 
condition  when,  on  a  certain  day,  the  demand  came.  I  took 
the  letter  from  the  office  at  noon.  What  now  was  to  be  done  ? 
Again  I  took  the  case  to  the  Lord,  and  asked  Him  to  help  me 
pay  it,  so  that  my  word  need  not  fail,  ox  his  cause  suffer 
reproach.  I  first  determined  to  pay  a  part:;  'but,  as  no  letter 
could  be  sent  out  that  day,  I  awaited  the  results  of  the  day 
following.  From  the  northern  mail,  Which  first  arrived,  I 
took  a  letter  containing  an  unexpected  draft  of  $50  to  my 
wife,  from  parties  whom  we  did  not  know,  and  had  never 
seen,  nor  they  us.  Within  twenty  minutes  more  I  was  pre- 
sented with  a  surprise  of  $40,  from  a,  people  where  I  had 
4 


50  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

preached  for  tlie  six  months  past.  Here  was  my  $90,  and, 
before  the  mail  went  out,  I  had  my  letter  written  and  in  the 
mail.  Both  were  as  unexpected  as  if  they  had  come  from 
heaven  direct." 


From  Wealth  to  Poverty. 

A  lady  of  superior  culture  and  refinement,  fell  from  opu- 
lence to  extreme  poverty,  within  four  years.  No  less  ready 
when  at  the  bottom  of  fortune's  ladder,  than  at  the  top,  to  do 
good  as  she  had  opportunity,  she  paid  another  poor  woman's 
way  to  a  neighboring  State,  where  employment  awaited  her, 
and  did  it  literally  with  her  last  dollar-and-a-half !  Suppos- 
ing herself  the  possessor  of  a  ten  cent  note,  over  and  above 
the  twelve  shillings,  she  went  with  her  somewhat  feeble  pro- 
tege over  Jersey  city  ferry,  and  saw  her  safely  in  the  cars. 
Starting  back,  she  was  dismayed  to  find  no  ten  cents  in  her 
pocket-book,  and,  all  too  late,  remembered  having  paid  it  for 
a  quart  of  milk  that  morning ;  the  sole  breakfast  of  herself 
and  daughter.  Night  was  approaching — what  to  do  she  did 
not  know.  She  had  a  plain,  worn,  old  gold  ring  on  her  finger ; 
she  took  it  off,  offered  it  to  the  ferry-master,  who  would  not 
take  it,  though  she  told  him  she  found  her  money  gone  and 
would  redeem  it  next  day.  She  went  back  in  the  ladies'  room 
and  told  it  to  the  Lord,  beseeching  his  assistance.  Just  then, 
a  girl  passing,  jostled  against  her  and  knocked  down  her  par- 
asol. She  picked  it  up,  happened  to  turn  it  upside  down,  and 
out  rolled  a  five-cent  nickel !  The  Lord,  then,  hears  prayer 
for  even  five  cents  to  provide  for  the  comfort  and  need  of  those 
whom  He  loves. 


A  Prayer  for  Fifty  Dollars. 

A  clergyman  writes  The  Christian  as  follows : 
"The  Winter  of  1872  I  spent  in  missionary  work,  carrying 
the  glad  tidings  of  the  kingdom  of  God  into  new  fields  in  the 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  51 

^regions  beyond.'  With  my  devoted  wife,  I  labored  ardently 
for  the  salvation  of  men  '  from  the  wrath  to  come.'  We  were 
full  of  comfort  to  be  thus  engaged,  though  without  pledge 
from  man  for  support,  or  promised  salary  for  preaching. 

''  In  spite  of  our  rigid  economy,  I  had  contracted  some  debts 
for  the  necessaries  of  life.  I  have  since  learned  to  go  with- 
out what  the  Lord  does  not  provide  means  to  pay  for  at  once. 
I  needed  the  money  to  pay  the  debts,  and  felt  impressed  to 
pray  for  fifty  dollars.  I  said  to  my  wife  :  'I  am,  going  to 
pray  for  fifty  dollars:  '  Well,'  said  she,  '  I  will  join  you  ;' 
and  we  bowed  before  God  and  told  Him  our  needs,  and  uni- 
tedly asked  Him  for  fifty  dollars ;  so  that  we  might  not  bring 
ourselves  or  the  truth  we  preached,  into  reproach,  by  being 
unable  to  pay  debts.  We  were  agreed  in  asking,  and  thus 
claiming  the  promise  :  '  If  two  of  you  shall  agree  as  touching 
anything  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them  of  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven.'  (Matt,  xviii.  19).  We  had  the 
assurance  that  money  would  come  ;  but  from  whence  we  did 
not  know,  nor  care,  for  we  knew  the  'silver  and  gold'  are  the 
Lord's,  as  well  as  the  'cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills,'  and  he 
could  easily  cause  some  one  to  give  or  send  us  the  money. 

•'  We  felt  full  of  peace ;  for  we  knew  it  was  for  God's  glory 
to  answer  that  prayer.  No  one  outside  of  the  family  knew 
we  were  praying  for  money.  We  did  not  go  around  among 
our  friends  and  tell  them  we  were  praying  for  fifty  dollars,  in 
hopes  that  they  would  take  it  upon  themselves  to  answer  the 
prayer.     We  told  none  but  the  God  whom  we  serve. 

"  Some  little  time  passed,  and  no  money  came,  but  we  did 
not  lose  our  faith  or  assurance.  One  morning,  at  family 
prayer,  I  was  led  out  to  pray  that  we  might  see  the  Lord's 
working  in  our  behalf  that  day,  and  I  rose  from  my  knees 
with  perfect  confidence  that  our  hearts  would  be  made  to 
rejoice  in  God  that  day.  When  I  came  in  to  my  dinner  I 
asked  my  wife  if  any  one  had  brought  our  mail  from  the  post- 
office.  She  said,  'Yes,  there  are  some  papers  on  your  table.' 
*  What !  '  said  I,  with  surprise,  '  no  letters  ?  '     I  saw  a  pecu- 


52  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

liar  expression  on  her  countenance,  and  I  asked  no  more  ques- 
tions, but  sat  down  to  the  dinner  table  and  turned  over  my 
plate,  and  there  saw  a  letter  she  had  put  beneath  it ;  and  as 
soon  as  I  saw  the  hand-writing  I  felt,  there  is  money  in  this^ 
though,  of  all  sources,  this  was  from  the  one  least  expected. 
I  opened  the  letter,  and  there  was  a  draft  for  fifty  dollars,  '  «• 
gift  to  aid  in  preaching  the  Gospel.^  If  I  ever  recognized  the 
hand  of  God  in  anything,  I  did  in  this ;  and  if  there  was  ever 
a  time  of  devout  thanksgiving  to  God,  and  a  humbling  of  self 
before  Him  in  my  house,  it  was  that  day.  Sinte  then,  it  has 
been  easier  to  trust  in  Him  than  before.  He  has  said,  '  I  will 
never  leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee.'  He  has  also  said,  through 
his  apostles,  ^  Be  careful  for  nothing ;  but  in  everything,  by 
prayer  and  supplication  with  thanksgiving,  let  your  requests 
be  made  known  unto  God.' " 


Concurrent  Testimony  of  the  Value  of 
Prayer. 

A  request  was  published  by  the  Illustrated  Christian 
Weekly,  asking  that  all  who  could  report  positive  facts  as 
direct  results  of  prayer,  and  thus  tend  to  show  that  "  God 
does  answer  prayer,''^  should  communicate  them.  Very  many 
were  communicated,  regarding  all  trials  and  troubles  of  the 
heart,  and  daily  temporal  or  spiritual  life.  No  one  can  ques- 
tion they  are  authentic  to  the  highest  degree ;  they  should 
silence  the  skeptic,  and  convince  the  worldly  of  the  presence 
of  the  mysterious  power  and  wonderful  Spirit  of  God,  which 
tempers  the  hearts  and  livei5  of  men  and  controls  them  as  He 
wills. 

A  Worldly  Man  Surrenders. 

A  clergyman  says,  ^'I  was  very  anxious  for  the  building  of 
a  mission  chapel  to  accommodate  a  flourishing  mission-school 
that  had  been  organized  under  my  pastorate.  Knowing  that 
a  certain  physician  of   the  city  was  possessed  of   abundant 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  53 

aiieans  and  had  a  praying  Christian  mother,  though  he  had 
Jong  since  given  up  going  to  church,  I  resolved  to  call  upon 
him.  Before  starting  from  my  study  I  knelt  down  and  asked 
God  to  prosper  me  in  my  appeal.  Upon  going  out  of  my  par- 
sonage the  physician  was  in  the  act  of  passing  in  his  carriage. 
I  hailed  him,  explained  to  him  my  desire,  and  the  result  was 
not  only  a  contribution  of  money  as  large  as  the  largest,  but 
a  gift  of  a  lot  for  the  chapel  worth  several  hundred  doUai  s." 

A  Servant's  Prayer  for  a  G-ood  Homo. 

"  I  was  brought  up  religiously  as  a  servant  in  a  family  in 
Connecticut,  and  from  twelve  years  of  age  until  twenty-three, 
knew  no  other  home.  The  old  couple  died,  and  I  lived  with 
their  children,  but  they  were  so  different  that  I  became  vary 
unhappy  and  hardly  knew  what  to  do  or  which  way  to  turn. 
I  had  no  relatives  and  knew  nothing  of  any  world  save  the 
little  one  in  which  I  had  all  my  life  moved,  and  I  was  ter- 
ribly afraid  to  try  any  other.  I  could  only  offer  my  constant 
prayer  for  help,  and  it  was  answered  so  much  beyond  my 
highest  hope,  and  so  kind  were  God's  dealings  with  me  that 
I  was  taken,  almost  without  an  effort  of  my  own,  into  a  warm, 
loving  heart,  and  such  a  happy  home,  and  all  so  easily  and 
smoothly  that  to  me  it  seems  like  a  miracle ;  and  never  can 
I  forget  while  I  live,  nor  cease  to  believe  that  truly  '  Ha  is 
the  hearer  and  answerer  of  prayer.' " 

*' Before  They  Call  I  W'ill  Answer."- A 
Pastor  Prays  for  Decision  as  to  G-ood 
Choices. 

'^  The  writer  was  once  in  great  trouble  to  know  what  was 
duty.  Urged  by  ministers  and  laymen  in  high  standing  to 
undertake  a  work  not  exactly  in  the  line  of  the  ministry,  he 
hesitated.  God's  displeasure  was  feared,  lest  in  doing  what 
was  desired  '  sin  might  lie  at  his  door.'     To  refuse  the  wish 


54  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

of  good  and  wise  men  might  be  resisting  God's  call.  In  tliis 
trial  of  conscience  he  sought  in  fasting  and  special  prayer  the 
guidance  of  his  Heavenly  Father.  While  so  doing  the  above 
promise  came  very  distinctly  to  his  mind.  He  brought  it  to 
God  as  his  own  promise,  and  j^leaded,  if  it  could  be  graciously 
done,  that  He  would  literally  fulfill  it  to  the  suppliant.  In 
the  very  act  of  thus  j^leading,  he  heard  a  rap  on  the  door. 
Opening  it,  there  stood  his  mother-in-law.  She  said,  *Two 
gentlemen  are  in  the  parlor  waiting  for  you.'  I  Avent  down, 
and  the  interview  revealed  the  exact  fulfillment  both  of  the 
promise  and  the  prophecy.  The  Lord  answered  my  prayer 
two  days  before  I  called  on  Him.  One  of  the  two  came  from 
New  York  to  my  home  in  a  Western  city  to  inquire  about  the 
very  thing  ivhicli  tvas  trouhUng  me.  He  ums  to  me  an  entire 
stranger,  never  having  heard  of  him  until  I  saw  him.  Hav- 
ing consulted  his  friend,  the  Kev.  M.  W.  Jacobus,  D.  D.,  they 
together  came  to  call  on  me  about  the  matter  at  the  very 
moment  I  was  pleading  with  God  that  He  would  mercifully, 
'while  yet  speaking,  hear  me.'  Now  could  Tyndall  and  his 
followers  desire  a  more  literal,  a  more  exact  fulfillment  of  this 
prophecy  and  promise  as  proof  of  its  inspiration,  and  of  prayer 
as  God's  ordinance  than  that  prayer  for  such  fulfillment  of 
these  words  actually  before  the  prayer  was  made,  and  while 
the  petitioner  was  '  yet  speaking  ?  '  " 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  best  judgment  of  good  men  ad- 
vise one  course,  but  trust  in  God  for  superior  wisdom  brought 
the  case  to  answer  in  a  totally  different  manner,  by  means  of 
an  unknown  person,  a  total  stranger,  who  neither  knew  him 
nor  his  desire.     The  circumstance  should  convince  the  world. 


A  Family  Pray  for  a  Good  Servant. 

"  About  three  years  since  my  family  comfort  was  very 
much  disturbed  by  failure  to  obtain  a  good  housemaid.  And, 
having  been  accustomed  to  wait  upon  God  for  right  direction 
in  my  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  affairs,  in  simple  faith  I 


^,oWERS    TO    PRAYER.  66 

asked  Him  to  direct  me  on  reaching  New  York  City  to  where 
I  would  find  a  girl  of  good  character  that  would  appreciate  a 
Christian  home.  My  steps  were  led  to  a  boarding-house  on 
Greenwich  street,  and  on  inquiring  for  a  German  or  Swede 
girl  I  was  told  they  had  a  nice  Swede  just  landed.  I  talked 
to  her  through  an  interpreter  and  was  satisfied  from  what  she 
said,  as  well  as  from  her  countenance,  that  she  was  the  one  I 
was  searching  for.  She  came  to  my  h  me  and  proved,  in  two 
years'  service,  almost  faultless.  In  conversation  one  day,  a 
short  time  after  she  came  to  our  home,  she  said  she  had  had 
several  places  offered  her  that  morning  before  I  came,  but  she 
<lid  not  like  them ;  but  as  soon  as  she  saw  me^  felt  that  she 
could  go  with  me — she  was  a  Christian,  member  of  the  Lu- 
theran church  and  wanted  a  Christian  home.  Her  desire 
was  granted  and  my  prayer  was  answerea. ' 

A  Recovery  from  a  Death-Bed, 

^•^  Some  forty  years  ago,  in  a  rural  parish  in  New  England, 
a  young  man  lay  apparently  on  his  death-bed  with  a  putrid 
fever.  His  aunt,  in  whose  family  he  was  staying,  was  a 
woman  who  had  long  lived  in  habitual  intercourse  with  the 
unseen  world  through  prayer.  One  afternoon,  when  it 
seemed  to  those  around  him  that  the  sick  one  must  die, 
she  went  away  alone  to  speak  with  God.  With  intense  earn 
estness  she  pleaded  for  the  young  man's  life.  And,  being 
deeply  interested  in  the  portion  of  our  country  then  begin- 
ning to  be  settled,  she  asked  also  that  he  might  become  a 
home  missionary  at  the  West.  There  were  various  circum- 
stances  which  made  this  latter  request,  as  well  as  the  other, 
seem  very  unlikely  to  be  fulfilled.  And  yet  it  was.  The 
young  man  recovered,  pursued  a  collegiate  and  theological 
course,  and  still  lives  and  labors  as  a  most  devoted  and 
useful  Christian  pioneer.  More  than  once  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  his  name  is  familiar  to  many." 


66  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER, 

A  Poor  Student  Prays  for  Money. 

"  I  was  a  poor  student  in  a  Manual  Labor  Institute  at  the 
West.  The  month  of  February  was  our  regular  Winter  vaca- 
tion. We  were  privileged  to  keep  our  rooms  and  have  board 
at  one  dollar  a  week.  But  I  had  absolutely  no  money,  I  wa^ 
six  hundred  miles  from  my  friends,  and  they  were  unable  to 
furnish  me  with  funds,  I  had  no  books  for  the  new  term, 
though  these  were  a  necessity  if  I  went  on  with  my  class, 
and  there  was  no  work  about  the  Institution,  nor  that  I  know 
of  in  the  neighborhood  at  that  season.  My  case  seemed  an 
exceedingly  bad  one  ;  and  I  had  no  idea  from  where  any  help 
could  come.  So  I  went  to  my  room  in  the  third  story,  locked 
my  door  and  carried  my  case  to  the  Lord,  It  was  a  long, 
earnest,  tearful  cry  for  help  from  Him  who  alone  seemed  able 
to  give  it.  My  prayer  was  answered.  When  I  had  been  there 
I  do  not  know  how  long,  I  heard  footsteps  in  the  empty  hall, 
and  in  a  moment  a  knock  at  my  door.  I  wiped  my  eyes,  and 
put  myself  into  presentable  shape  as  soon  as  I  could,  and 
opened  the  door.  A  lad  stood  there  who  said  :  'A  man  wants 
to  see  you  at  the  front  door.'  Down  tlie  stairs  I  went,  won> 
dering  who  could  want  me  and  what  he  could  want  me  for. 
In  the  front  yard  was  a  man  on  a  restless  horse,  ^vho  at  onca 
said  :  ^  We  want  you  to  teach  our  school  for  a  month.  The 
boys  have  driven  out  the  female  teacher.  We  want  you  tc 
take  them  in  hand,  and  we'll  give  you  fifteen  dollars  and  your 
board.^  I  said,  ^  All  right,  I'll  be  down  there  to-morrow  morn- 
ing.'  And  then  I  went  back  to  my  room  to  thank  God  for 
hearing  my  prayer.'^ 


"  I  Can't  Stop  to  Pray." 

"A  deacon  living  in  a  Berkshire  town  was  requested  to 
give  his  prayers  in  behalf  of  a  poor  man  with  n  large  family 
who  had  broken  his  leg.  ^I  can't  stop  now  to  pray,^  said  the 
deacon  (who  was  picking  and  barreling  his  early  apples  for 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  57 

the  city  market).  ^'  but  joii  can  go  down  into  the  cellar  and 
get  some  corned  beef,  salt  pork,  potatoes,  and  butter — that's 
the  best  I  can  do,^ " 

Remarkable  Healing  of  a  Child. 

A  clergyman  writes  that  during  the  ministration  of  his 
labors  at  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  there  were  several  remark- 
able  manifestations  of  divine  power — especially  in  the  case  of 
a  little  girl,  the  daughter  of  a  Mr.  Smith,  a  child  of  about 
six  years. 

''In  September  last,  she  was  taken  very  sick  with  spinal 
fever.  She  became  much  reduced,  extremely  nervous  and 
helpless,  excepting  to  move  her  hands.  Physicians  gave  up 
the  case  as  a  hopeless  one,  deciding  that  should  she  live,  her 
condition  would  be  that  of  helplessness,  a  burden  to  herself 
and  to  her  parents, 

"But  our  graciouc  God  had  better  things  in  ctore  for  that 
afflicted  family.  It  was  on  a  Sabbath  afternoon,  at  the  very 
hour  when  the  crowded  congregation  in  our  house  of  worship 
Mere  in  prayer  for  the  influences  of  the  divine  Spirit,  that  a 
Iioly,  solemn  influence  came  into  the  dwelling  of  Brother 
Smith,  as  if  an  angel  had  come  to  touch  tho  child  with 
healing  power.  The  mother  could  not  leavo  the  bedside  of 
her  suffering  child  to  attend  the  meeting,  and  she  says  that 
a  sudden  change  came  over  her  feelings,  and  it  appeared  to 
her  that  an  angel  had  come  into  tho  house,  and  had  shed  a 
lioly  influence  in  every  part  of  it.  It  was  at  that  moment 
that  the  hitherto  helpless  child  drew  herself  up  in  a  sitting 
posture,  and  next  rose  upon  her  feet.  She  rapidly  recovered 
to  her  usual  habits  of  taking  food  and  sleeping,  and  now  takes 
the  exercise  of  the  mopt  robust  children  of  her  age.^' 

God  Paid  the  Rent —Answer  to  Prayer. 

A  poor  Christian  family  were  in  distress.     The  husband, 
during  a  long  and  painful  sickness,  had  borne  his  trials  for 


58  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

months  with  cheerful  Christian  resignation ;  "  but,  on  this 
day,"  said  a  City  Missionary,  "  I  found  them,  for  the  first 
time,  in  tears.  The  cause  I  soon  learned  was  the  want  of 
means  to  pay  the  rent  of  their  little  home,  which  would  come 
due  on  the  following  Monday,  and  must  be  paid  then,  or  they 
would  have  to  leave  and  go  they  knew  not  where.  The  amount 
needed,  fifteen  dollars,  and  the  amount  in  hand  hnt  fifty  cents; 
the  future  all  dark,  and  no  hope  of  recovery  from  sickness,  and 
no  hope  of  being  able  to  meet  their  expenses — it  might  be  of 
a  long  sickness  and  want — what  could  I  do  for  them  ?  If 
theirs  had  been  the  only  case  of  like  wants  that  day,  I  no 
doubt  could  have  gone  to  a  few  friends  and  have  collected  the 
amount.  But  that  would  not  do  them  the  good  I  felt  they 
needed.  But  I  felt  sure  of  a  better  way  to  get  it,  and  lead 
them  to  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  glorify  God  and  not  man. 

"  On  the  wall,  at  the  foot  of  the  sick  man's  bed,  I  had  hung, 
but  a  short  time  previous,  one  of  those  precious  silent  comfort- 
ers, a  scroll  of  Scripture  texts,  printed  in  large  type,  and  a  dif- 
ferent prayer  for  every  day  in  the  month.  On  the  page  before 
us  for  that  day,  after  calling  their  attention  to  it,  I  read  the 
following  words  :  ^  And  all  things  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in 
prayer  believing,  ye  shall  receive.'^  Matt.  21 :  22.  ^  Again  I 
say  unto  you,  that  if  two  of  you  shall  agree  on  earth  as  touch- 
ing anything  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  he  done  for  them.^ 
Matt.  18  :  9  J  remarking,  '  Are  not  those  precious  promises  ? 
Your  fears,  dear  brother  and  sister,  are  that  you  will  not  be 
able  to  pay  the  rent  on  Monday,  and  may  be  turned  out  into 
the  street,  unless  you  get  the  means  to  pay  the  rent ;  are  they 
not  ? '  ^  That  is  so,'  said  they.  '  There  are  two  ways  :  one, 
to  try  to  get  some  one  to  lend  you  the  amount  until  you  can 
pay,  if  the  landlord  will  not  wait ;  another,  to  go  and  beg  for 
it.'  I  have  learned  a  better  way,  and  wish  I  could  lead  you 
to  do  the  same.  Do  as  David  did.  Have  you  ever  gone  ta 
the  Lord  as  directed  above,  and  found  in  Him,  as  David  did, 
a  very  present  help  in  time  of  trouble  ?  Would  not  your 
faith  and  confidence  in  God's  word  and  in  his  kind,  overruling 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  59» 

providence  be  more  strengthened,  if,  in  going  to  Him  now  and 
making  known  your  present  troubles  and  wants,  He  should  in. 
a  way,  without  your  making  known  your  wants  to  any  other 
person,  on  Monday  enable  you  to  pay  all  ?  '  The  answer  was^ 
'  We  should.' 

"  After  prayer  and  encouragement  to  do  so,  I  left  them,  with 
the  promise  to  call  the  following  Tuesday.  Doing  so,  I  was 
met  at  the  door  by  the  wife  with  a  countenance  full  of  joy. 
'  Ohf  brother,  we  could  not  wait  until  you  came,  to  tell  you 
the  wonderful  answer  to  our  prayer.  On  Monday,  the  very 
day  that  we  had  to  pay  the  rent,  one  gentleman  came  and 
handed  my  husband  five  dollars,  and  early  in  the  morning 

Mrs.  F called  and  handed  me  ten  dollars,  making  in  all 

just  fifteen  dollars,  the  amount  we  needed;  was  it  not  won- 
derful ?  Oh,  how  good  the  Lord  is  ! '  The  same  week  another 
called  and  gave  them  an  order  for  fifty  dollars  more,  so  that 
they  were  able  to  pay  up  all  their  debts,  and  the  sudden  joy 
soon  led  to  a  speedy  restoration  to  health,  and  the  husband  is 
iiow  one  of  the  most  active  Christian  workers  and  teachers; 
in  a  mission  school,  and  the  wife  and  daughter  are  also  try- 
ing to  do  all  they  can  to  lead  others  to  trust  in  Jesus." 

He  Forgetteth.  Not  the  Cry  of  the  Humble. 

A  City  home  missionary  has  told  us  of  the  case  of  a  poor 
colored  family,  the  husband  nearly  one  hundred  years  old, 
totally  incapacitated  for  work,  and  confined  to  his  room  by 
sickness  nearly  twelve  years. 

Although  very  often  in  straitened  circumstances,  the  Lord 
has  never  left  them  to  want  for  any  good  they  needed,  having,, 
in  a  truly  wonderful  manner  supplied  their  wants,  in  answer 
to  prayer.  The  wife,  having  for  a  long  time  been  kept  from 
the  enjoyment  of  church  privileges  by  close  confinement,  she- 
had  been  sorely  tempted  to  doubt  her  acceptance  in  Christ,. 
and  was  in  great  darkness  for  days ;  but  one  day,  in  reading 
the  following  words,  found  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  John^ 


60  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

^'  If  ye  abide  in  7ne,  and  my  words  abide  in  yon,  ye  shall  ash 
what  ye  ivill  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you,''^  she  was  led  to  go 
to  God  in  prayer,  and  to  ask,  if  not  wrong  in  his  sight,  to 
grant  her  a  request,  that  she  might  know  that  her  prayer  was 
answered,  and  that  she  was  abiding  in  Him.  The  request  was 
that,  as  they  were  in  trouble  for  the  rent  coming  due  the  next 
day,  and  still  in  need  of  three  dollars,  that  the  Lord  would  send 
them  a  friend  in  a  stranger,  some  one  that  they  had  never  seen 
before,  and  that  he  would  put  it  into  the  heart  of  that  stranger 
to  give  them  three  dollars,  and  then  they  would  not  be  tempt- 
ed to  believe,  as  they  had  sometimes  before,  that  it  would 
have  been  sent  by  a  friend  even  if  they  had  not  prayed. 

"But,"  said  she,  "I  knows  if  a  stranger  comes,  none  but 
the  Lord  could  send,  then  I  would  know  the  Lord  heard  my 
prayer,  and  I  was  truly  the  Lord's.  So  I  watch  for  the  answer 
for  you  knows,  brother,  when  we  prays,  the  Lord  says  we  must 
believe  we  shall  receive  what  we  ask  of  Him,  and  then  He  will 
give  it.  So  I  watch  and  listen  for  the  knock  at  the  door,  and 
do  you  believe  me,  brother,  about  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, I  hears  a  knock  and  opens  the  door,  and  a  strange  lady 

was  there,  one  I  never  saw  before,  and  asked  me  if  Mrs.  H 

lived  here ;  and  said  she  had  been  looking  for  us  before,  but 
could  not  find  us  ;  ^  when,  to-day  I  felt  I  must  try  again,  anc 
I  am  so  glad  I  have  found  you.  I  heard  of  you  through  a 
friend  who  has  known  you  a  long  time.'  She  spoke  many 
kind  words,  and  when  she  took  my  hand  to  say  good-by,  she 
left  a  little  roll  of  notes,  and  when  she  is  gone  I  count  it,  and 
it  was  just  three  dollars.  I  is  been  so  happy  ever  since.  I 
loves  to  tell  how  good  the  Lord  has  been  to  us  ;  every  time  I 
does  so  I  feels  so  happy." 

Incidents  in  the  Life  of  an  Invalid.— How 
G-od  cares  and  comforts  in  small  things. 

The  following  incidents  are  from  the  life  of  an  invalid,  per- 
sonally known  to  the  editor  of  this  book,  and  can  be  depend- 


ANSWERS    TO   PRAYER.  61 

ed  upon  as  authentic  in  every  particular.  They  illustrate 
most  beautifully  the  blessed  way  in  which  the  Savior's  ever- 
lasting arms  are  around,  strengthening,  and  His  presence 
comforting  His  weak  and  helpless  ones,  in  all  their  little  as 
well  as  great  trials  of  life.  The  ways  in  which  he  sent  relief, 
and  the  many  hundred  promises  which  he  has  given,  will 
encourage  other  Christian  hearts  to  trust  the  same  Omiiijjo- 
te?it,  ever  Helping  Friend. 

G-iving  her  Last  Money  to  the  Lord. 

" '  The  first  money  the  Lord  gives  me  I  will  send  to  you,' 
were  the  last  words  I  said  to  my  old  father,  as  I  stood 
waiting  for  the  train  to  bear  me  to  distant  friends.  So  thj 
weeks  passed  on,  but  I  remembered  my  promise  and  waited 
patiently  for  the  Lord  to  enable  me  to  fulfill  that  promise.  I 
had  two  dollars,  but  thought  I  must  not  give  it  away  until 
more  came.  But  this  feeling  did  not  last  long ;  something 
seemed  to  tell  me  the  Lord  would  not  send  me  any  until  that 
was  gone.  One  day  I  received  a  letter  from  a  friend  contain- 
ing this  sentence :  '  I  have  not  had  three  cents  in  five  weeks.' 
My  whole  nature  responded  in  a  moment.  I  put  part  of  my 
money  into  a  letter  for  him,  the  rest  into  a  letter  for  my 
father.  Now  I  felt  clear.  Then  I  told  the  Lord  all  about  it. 
A  week  passed,  and  $5  came  to  me  from  my  mother  to 
pay  my  return  fare.  A  few  days  longer,  and  another  $5 
came  from  a  lady  friend,  so  I  was  provided  for.  I  needed 
a  certain  article  of  clothing,  and  one  night  made  all  arrange- 
ments to  get  it  next  day.  Morning  came,  and  I  went  to  the 
Bible  for  my  orders  for  the  day ;  my  eyes  rested  on  these  words  : 
^Be  content  with  what  ye  have.'  This  seemed  so  strange, 
because  the  Lord  knew  I  needed  the  dress ;  I  was  obliged  to 
stay  out  of  society  on  this  account.  '  But  the  Lord  knows 
best,'  I  thought,  and  gave  up  all  idea  of  getting  it.  Nor  did 
it  trouble  me  further.  I  gave  it  all  into  his  hands,  feeling 
He  knew  best.     And  afterwards  it  was  made  clear  to  my  own 


62  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

-heart  I  had  not  trusted  in  vain.  ^  Commit  all  thy  ways  unto 
the  Lord,  for  He  careth  for  thee.''  ^' 

Money  Wanted  to  Pay  Railroad  Fare. 

"Once,  on  a  visit,  I  left  the  company  below,  and  went  up 
stairs  for  an  hour's  quiet  and  prayer.  I  was  to  return  the 
coming  week  and  I  had  only  just  enough  to  pay  my  fare. 
For  several  days  I  had  been  anxious  how  I  was  to  get 
some  money.  This  afternoon  I  had  to  pray  very  earnestly, 
because  the  need  was  great.  An  hour  passed ;  I  felt  weary 
•and  unrefreshed,  when  a  voice  clear  and  near  said  unto  me : 
^  Trust  in  the  Lord  and  do  good,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed.' 
It  was  not  a  human  voice,  for  no  one  was  near  me,  but  I 
started  and  looked  around,  almost  expecting  to  see  an  angel 
visitant.  I  saw  nothing,  but  the  sun  shone  brighter  outside, 
^nd  the  room  seemed  brighter  than  before.  And  why  should 
it  not  ?  The  Lord  had  been  there  with  words  of  cheer  and 
comfort  for  his  little  child.  I  arose  and  went  below,  where  I 
found  other  company  had  called,  and  I  was  introduced  to  the 
lady  and  her  husband,  whom  I  had  met  five  years  before.  A 
pleasant  chat  and  they  left,  after  giving  me  an  invitation 
to  visit  them.     At  the  door,  as  I  learned  from  my  friend  who 

attended  them,  Mrs.  N said  :  '  I  should  like  to  give  Miss 

B something,'  and  handed  my  friend  a  five  dollar  hill  for 

me.  I  was  more  than  surprised.  I  cannot  tell  you  the  emo- 
tions of  my  heart.  While  I  was  yet  asking,  even,  the  messen- 
ger had  brought  my  answer.  I  could  yet  hear  the  soft  sound 
of  the  voice  up-stairs,  and  the  soothing  influence  of  the 
unseen  presence  still  lingered  round  me.  How  quickly  our 
needs  flow  on  the  wings  of  prayer  into  the  very  presence 
of  our  Friend  and  Master." 

Prayer  Saves  the  Life  of  a  Little  Child. 

"  A  year  ago  this  Summer,  my  sister's  little  baby,  only  five 
months  old,  was  taken  very  ill  with  that  distressing  complaint 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  63 

which  often  proves  so  fatal,  and  takes  so  many  sweet  lit' 
tie  ones  out  of  loving  hearts  and  homes.  I  loved  baby 
Ernest,  but  never  so  M^ell  as  when  he  lay  so  sick  he  could  not 
know  it.  We  all  loved  him,  and  everything  was  done  that 
could  be  thought  of  to  ease  the  little  sufferer  all  those 
long,  close,  hot  days.  Day  after  day,  for  four  long  weeks,  we 
tenderly  cared  for  him.  Sometimes  his  mother  would  watch 
his  every  breath,  fearing  each  would  be  the  last.  One  Sun- 
day he  lay  just  where  we  put  him,  so  quiet  and  still,  with 
the  sweet  baby  face  so  white  and  calm,  we  thought  we  should 
lose  him  soon,  the  little  hands  and  feet  were  so  cold.  All 
through  his  illness,  I  kept  asking  the  Lord  to  let  his  parents 
Iveep  the  tender  bud  he  had  sent  them.  We  could  not  let 
him  die,  and  to-day  I  prayed  very  earnestly  all  the  time — 
«ven  when  we  could  not  warm  the  little  body  at  all — we  could 
not  let  him  go.  Well,  Ernnie  passed  over  the  fearful  day 
:and  became  a  happy,  well  boy.  He  was  saved.  No  physician 
saved  him.  Our  tender  care  did  not  save  him.  Prayer  saved 
our  Ernnie.  Precious  baby  !  He  is  such  a  jolly,  happy  boy 
now,  filling  every  heart  and  the  whole  house  with  his  sun- 
shine. How  I  love  the  little  fellow.  When  I  am  here  at  his 
home,  he  always  comes  to  Auntie  for  love  and  tenderness. 
When  I  am  resting  on  the  lounge,  he  comes  every  few  mo- 
ments to  kiss  me,  giving  and  receiving  real  heart-love.  We 
know  God  only  lends  these  little  treasures  to  their  human 
friends.  But  oh,  they  bring  so  much  love  with  them,  it 
is  hard  to  give  them  up." 

The  Lost  Thimble. 

"  One  day  I  lost  my  silver  thimble,  a  gift  from  my  mother 
when  I  was  a  young  girl.  I  prized  it  very  highly.  I  looked 
everywhere,  long  and  faithfully.  The  tears  would  come,  at 
the  best,  it  had  been  so  long  a  constant  companion.  I  gave 
np  the  search  after  a  while,  thinking  some  one  had  taken  it, 
-or  a  child  had  lost  it — any  way,  it  was  gone.    Feeling  sad  over 


64  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

it,  I  sat  down  to  console  myself,  and  the  thought  came — pray 
about  it ;  so  I  did,  and  while  I  knelt  there  something  whis- 
pered, '  Look  on  the  bed/  so  plainly  that  I  arose  and  went 
into  my  sister's  sleeping-room  where  I  had  turned  the  spread 
aside,  and  there  nestled,  in  a  fold  of  the  quilt,  my  thimble.  I 
involuntarily  said,  '  Thank  God ! '  out  of  the  depths  of  my 
glad  heart.  I  had  lain  down  a  moment  on  this  bed  with  baby 
Ernest,  early  in  the  morning,  and  the  thimble  had  fallen 
out  of  my  pocket." 

A  Prayer  for  $25. 

"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform." 

"  I  had  a  present  of  twenty-five  dollars  once,  which  r/as  a 
direct  answer  to  earnest,  pleading  prayer.  I  was  entirely  out 
of  money  for  months — I  could  not  earn  a  dollar.  I  had  those 
who  might  have  assisted  me,  but  they  did  not.  I  could  have 
borrowed,  but  I  might  never  be  able  to  return  it ;  I  knew  not 
what  to  do.  One  evening,  thinking  it  all  over,  scanning  the 
dark  cloud  with  anxious  ej^es,  I  said,  ^If  the  Lord  cannot 
help  me,  no  one  else  can;  I  will  ask  Him.'  And  so  I  did» 
bringing  all  the  previous  promises  before  Him,  pleading  my 
un worthiness,  but  my  great  need  ;  asking  first  for  ten  dvllars; 
then,  as  I  grew  more  earnest,  I  asked  for  twenty-five,  feeling 
almost  frightened  as  the  words  came  from  my  lips.  Some- 
times the  thought  would  intrude,  '  How  can  you  ask  fo-r  any 
given  sum — how  do  you  expect  it  will  come  ?  '  so  I  said,  one 
day,  to  the  Lord,  '  Any  sum  you  choose  ;  you  know  best ;  I 
will  be  content.'  Several  weeks  passed,  and  a  sweet  feeling 
of  rest  and  assurance  came,  that,  whatever  came  of  it,  would 
be  all  for  the  best.  But,  by-and-by,  when  the  anxious  plead- 
ing feeling  was  all  gone,  one  morning  came  a  letter  from 
one  I  had  never  seen,  with  $25 — just  what  I  had  asked  for. 
I  cannot  tell  you  just  how  I  felt ;  I  only  know  I  held  the 
check  long  in  my  hand,  scarcely  realizing  it  could  be  for  me." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  Q5 

Praying  for  Others. 

"  My  sister's  husband  wished  to  raise  a  certain  sum  of  inter- 
est money  by  a  given  time,  but  could  see  no  way  ;  was  very 
much  troubled  about  it ;  said  he  knew  no  one  to  whom  he 
could  apply.  I  told  him  to  pray  for  it.  He  answered,  '  God 
won't  hear  the  prayer  of  the  wicked ;  suppose  you  ask  him 
yourself.'  I  did  ask  Him,  earnestly  and  faithfully,  and  it  was 
even  given  me  the  idea  who  my  brother  could  ask  to  loan  it 
him.  I  spoke  of  the  man  to  him — said  I  thought  he  might 
get  it ;  so  he  called  on  him  one  evening,  and  the  way  was 
made  plain  for  my  brother  to  introduce  the  subject  ;  and 
when  he  came  home  that  night,  he  brought  with  him  the 
three  hundred  dollars." 

A  Visit  to  Friends. 

"  I  will  hold  thee  by  thy  right  hand,  saying  unto  thee,  fear  not,  I  will 
help  thee." 

"  Once  I  held  in  my  hand  an  open  letter,  containing  an  invi- 
tation to  visit  friends  I  had  never  seen.  My  heart  bounded 
with  pleasure  at  thought  of  the  journey,  and  the  pleasant 
visit  to  follow ;  but,  on  second  thought,  it  almost  stood  still — 
where  could  I  get  money  and  proper  clothing  ?  Several  weeks 
passed  in  thought.  I  could  see  no  way,  and  so  I  wrote  my 
friends  I  could  not  come  at  present ;  but,  in  my  heart,  I  could 
not  give  it  up.  My  parents  were  visiting  in  the  far  West, 
and  I  had  no  one  to  advise  me  ;  so,  up  in  my  little  room, 
night  after  night,  I  made  it  a  point  to  tell  the  Lord  about  it  5 
and  soon  it  seemed  as  easy  and  right  as  though  I  were  talk- 
ing to  a  friend.  One  day,  my  brother-in-law  said  he  would 
pay  my  expenses  to  and  fro.  I  thanked  him,  and  took  fresh 
courage,  and  still  kept  on  praying.  Then  the  same  good 
brother  gave  me  money  for  a  dress ;  then  a  friend  furnished 
other  articles,  and  soon,  I  was  en  route  for  the  quaint  old  city 
by  the  sea.  Every  step  was  accomplished  by  the  simple  way 
of  prayer  ;  and,  when  I  slept,  late  that  night,  in  a  cosy  room 
5 


66  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

at  the  Methodist  parsonage  in  N.  B.,  I  could  look  back  over 
the  last  few  weeks,  and  thank  God  for  the  2^ower  of  jpvayer. 
But  the  best  of  it  all  was  the  lesson  I  had  learned — one  which 
I  shall  never  forget,  while  memory  holds  her  magic  power — 
to  carry  everything  to  God  in  prayer ;  to  trust  him  in  every 
matter,  however  small ;  and  this  is  the  whole  secret  of  tlie 
power  that  lies  in  prayer." 

"  I  found  another  lady  visitor  at  my  friend's  and  we  were 
to  share  the  same  bed.  This  was  a  little  trial ;  I  had  to  ask 
the  Lord  to  give  me  patience — and  He  did.  One  night,  I  was 
very  restless  and  nervous  ;  I  could  not  sleep.  I  knew  I  was 
disturbing  my  friend — soon  she  said,  '■  Annie,  I  am  going  to 
ask  the  Lord  to  come  and  put  you  to  sleep.  Now,  lay  still, 
and  in  five  minutes  you  will  be  all  right  '  I  did  so,  also 
breathing  the  words,  'Give  me  sleep,  dear  Saviour.'  The 
room  seemed  to  be  full  of  a  soft,  soothing  influence,  and  I 
fell  asleep.  Once  only  in  the  night  I  awoke,  but  soon  went 
asleep.  When  I  awoke  in  the  morning,  rested  and  refreshed, 
Tillie,  who  was  dressing  near  me,  looked  up  with  her  pleasant 
smile  and  said,  '  Annie,  how  wonderful  it  was.  You  were 
asleep  in  less  than  five  minutes.  It  seemed  as  though  Jesus 
stood  close  by  your  side  ;  I  could  almost  see  Him,  I  felt  so 
clearly  His  presence.  He  is  here  now,  Annie;  can't  j^ou  feel 
Him  near  ?  He  was  very  good  to  you  last  night.'  Yes,  indeed, 
I  felt  the  influence  of  His  presence,  and,  all  da}',  whenever  I  en- 
tered the  room,  I  felt  it,  and  it  seemed  as  though  I  must  tread 
softly,  it  was  so  like  holy  ground.  This  feeling  lasted  through 
my  stay,  and,  last  Winter,  while  again  visiting  the  home  of 
my  friends,  it  all  came  back  to  me  again.  This  beautiful 
influence  has  ever  kept  with  me,  and  I  never  close  my  eyes 
in  sleep  until  I  say,  '  Oh,  Lord,  breathe  upon  me  the  sweet 
spirit  of  sleep.'  However  weary,  sick  or  nervous  I  may  be,  I 
feel  that  the  soothing  power  will  come;  and,  with  mj^  hand 
in  His,  I  rest  j^eacefully,  at  last." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  67 

Praying  for  a  New  Hat. 

"  Whatsoever  thing  ye  ask  in  My  name  " 

*Tor  a  long  while  I  had  been  without  money,  and  my  need 
was  very  great.  I  wanted  a  new  hat  so  much  ;  and  the  ques- 
tion arose  in  my  mind,  'What  am  I  going  to  do  about  it  ?' 
As  I  had  no  human  arm  to  depend  on  for  anything,  of  course 
there  was  only  one  way  for  me  to  do — ask  the  Lord  for  money 
to  get  me  a  hat.  With  me,  to  think  is  to  act,  and  so  I  told 
the  Lord  all  about  it,  asking,  if  it  was  His  will,  to  send  me, 
in  His  own  way,  money  for  the  article  I  needed.  Day  after 
day  passed,  and  I  felt  almost  discouraged.  One  day,  a  letter 
came  from  a  lady  friend  I  had  never  seen,  enclosing  one  dol- 
lar. I  bought  my  hat — neither  could  I  have  used  that  dollar 
for  another  purpose.  Soon  after  this,  my  physician  ordered 
something  for  me.  I  had  no  money  to  get  it,  but  said  I 
would  get  it  soon  as  I  could.  Three  weeks  passed,  and  no 
money  came.  Then  I  asked  the  Lord  for  enough  to  get  my 
medicine.  Another  letter  came  from  an  old  nurse,  with  a  gift 
of  one  dollar.  I  had  my  medicine.  Time  after  time,  I  have 
not  had  wherewith  to  send  my  letters,  and,  as  I  have  a  large 
correspondence,  it  often  is  a  real  trouble.  The  only  way  I 
have  to  do  is  to  ^^rcty  for  it,  and  always,  in  some  way,  it 
comes  ;  not  in  my  way — not  just  as  soon  as  I  ask  for  it — but 
in  His  own  way.  He  always  provides.  I  have  learned  to  trust 
and  not  be  afraid,  even  though  the  clouds  hang  heavy,  and  I 
see  no  ray  of  light,  the  promise  is  there,  and  for  me,  -I  will 
up.i^er  leave  thee,  or  forsake  thee.'  I  am  so  entirely  depend- 
ent on  Him  for  everything  that  sometimes,  in  little  matters, 
vay  faith  will,  for  a  brief  season,  droop.  Sometimes  I  have 
to  plead  and  plead  over  again  some  particular  promises  ;  but 
these  times  of  waiting  on  Him  only  strengthen  me  for  future 
conflicts.  'Wait  on  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  renew  thy  strength,' 
comes  in  beautifully  on  such  occasions.  No  human  being  to 
help  me ;  no  one  but  God.  Sometimes,  when  I  sit  alone,  such 
a  flood  of  feelings  come  over  me,  I  well  nigh  sink.    Loneliness, 


68  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

homesicknesSj  and  the  great  want  in  every  human  heart  of  sym- 
pathy and  love,  leave  me,  for  a  moment,  without  hope  or  faith  ; 
but,  when  the  heart  is  weakest,  and  the  need  greatest,  the  lov- 
ing Saviour  is  nearest.  '  Like  as  a  mother  comf orteth  her  child, 
so  does  He  comfort  me  ;  ^  and  then,  soothed  by  his  power  and 
love,  how  the  aching  heart  rests  '  by  the  still  waters,  and  in 
the  green  pastures.'  There  is  nothing  but  prayer  for  the 
helpless  sinner ;  nothing  else  will  bring  us  into  loving  com- 
panionship with  the  Lord.  We  may  go  to  Him  always,  with 
every  trial,  need  or  sorrow.  He  is  ever  waiting — ever  ready 
to  hear  and  answer." 

Praying  for  a  Sewing  Machine. 

^'  One  day  a  lady  friend  said  to  me  :  '  Would  you  like  some 
nice  sewing,  easy  to  do?'  I  answered,  'Yes.'  'Have  you  a 
sewing  machine  ? '  'I  have  not,  but  am  praj^ng  for  one.' 
'That  is  right;  so  you  believe  you  will  have  it  by  praying  for 
it  ? '  I  replied  :  '  If  the  Lord  thinks  I  need  it.  He  will  send 
it.'  I  had  learned  to  use  my  sister's,  but  I  wanted  one  of  my 
own,  to  use  just  when  I  felt  like  it.  So  the  thought  kept 
in  my  heart,  '  Why  can't  I  pray  for  one  ? '  And  yet  it 
seemed  foolish  to  go  in  prayer  to  God  for  such  a  simple  thing, 
but  I  had  not  then  learned  that  all  things,  with  Him,  meant 
every  wish  and  want  of  the  human  heart.  But  there  was  no 
other  way.  He  must  send  my  machine,  or  I  could  have  none. 
I  prayed  very  earnestly.  After  a  few  weeks  of  waiting, 
one  golden  winter  morning  it  came — my  beautiful  machine — • 
just  what  I  wanted.  This  seemed  so  wonderful  to  me,  that  it 
seemed  to  bring  me  into  nearer  companionship  with  the  Lord, 
and  ever  after,  whatever  I  needed,  I  went  directly  to  Him 
for.  A  ministerial  friend  once  asked  me  what  it  was  I  had 
covered  up  on  the  stand.  I  told  him  it  was  my  piano,  taking 
the  cover  aside  and  showing  him  at  once  how  my  beau- 
tiful sewing  machine  worked.  '  What  tune  do  you  play 
oftenest  ? '  he  asked.  '  Rock  of  Ages  is  its  favorite  one,  and 
I  never  sew  without  singing  it.' " 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  69 

Money  for  Postage. 

"One  day  I  opened  my  port-monnaie  to  get  change  for  some 
little  needful,  when  I  found  I  had  but  ten  cents.  I  used  five 
of  it.  As  visions  of  six  or  seven  letters  and  many  little 
things  I  needed  came  up  before  me,  I  said  aloud:  'The  Lord 
will  have  to  send  me  some  money  pretty  soon.'  I  think  once 
through  the  day  I  prayed  for  some  money,  but  felt  no  uneasi- 
ness about  it.  That  evening  a  lady  friend  called  to  say  good- 
by  for  the  winter,  and  as  she  left  gave  me  fifty  cents  for 
postage.  While  I  was  calling  He  answered  me.  About 
a  week  before  this,  I  thought  I  would  ask  the  Lord  for  $5  for 
my  physician.  He  had  come  so  faithfully,  day  after  day, 
without  ever  expecting  one  dollar,  because  I  had  told  him 
freely  my  circumstances.  But  I  felt  I  must  give  him  some- 
thing for  a  gift  at  least.  So  I  asked  for  five  dollars.  Day 
after  day  passed  away,  and  I  thought  perhaps  the  Lord 
did  not  want  me  to  have  it.  But  still  I  prayed,  asking  it  for 
His  will,  not  mine.  One  morning  a  letter  came  from  a  very 
dear  friend,  containing  a  check  for  the  amount  for  which 
I  had  prayed,  and  a  little  beside.  It  seemed  such  a  signal 
answer  to  my  prayer,  that  I  could  scarcely  speak,  and  in 
my  heart  a  glad  prayer  of  thanksgiving  went  up  to  Him,  who 
had  told  me  to  ask  and  I  should  receive.  A  friend,  to  whom 
I  told  this,  said:  'Now  you  need  this  money  yourself;  I 
would  not  give  it  to  the  doctor  now — wait  awhile.'  '  But,^  I 
replied,  '  T  dare  not  do  it.  I  need  it,  I  know,  but  I  asked 
God  for  it  for  my  doctor,  and  I  must  give  it.'  And  here  let 
me  say,  when  we  ask  God  for  money,  it  is  sacred,  and  must  be 
spent  only  to  please  Him." 

Praying  for  a  Bible. 

"For  a  long  while  it  has  been  my  habit  to  be  entirely 
guided  for  the  day  by  the  first  verse  in  the  Bible  on  which 
my  eyes  rested.     While  dressing  for  the  day,  I  glance  at  the 


70  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

open  page,  or  sometimes  turning  over  the  leaves.  But  my  old 
Bible  was  poor  print  and  small,  and  it  troubled  me  for  a  long 
while.  So  I  thought  I  would  ask  the  Lord  to  send  me  a  new 
one.  I  told  Him  all  about  it.  One  day,  this  Summer,  the 
postman  brought  me  a  package  of  magazines  and  a  letter.  I 
began  to  undo  the  package,  eager  to  scan  their  welcome 
pages.  My  sister  laughingly  said  she  would  read  my  letter, 
and  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  opened  the  envelope.  I 
really  did  not  mind  what  she  Avas  doing,  until  she  said: 
'Why  there  is  some  money  here,  but  no  letter.'  So  she 
handed  me  the  half  sheet  of  paper,  with  the  money  folded 
inside.  I  looked  it  over,  and  there  were  only  these  words  in 
pencil :  '  For  a  Bible,  and  three  dollars.'  We  looked  at  each 
other ;  I  could  not  say  a  word,  until  she  said,  '  What  does  it 
all  mean  ?  '  I  answered,  '  The  Lord  sent  it,  I  know ;  whei*e 
could  it  come  from  ? '  It  was  wonderful — wonderful  because 
I  could  not  remember  .as  I  ever  told  any  one  that  I  was  pray- 
ing for  a  Bible." 

A  Spring  Mattress. 

"Last  Summer,  when  I  bought  my  bedstead,  I  did  not 
have  money  to  get  either  springs  or  a  mattress,  so  I  fixed  up 
a  clean,  straw  bed,  and  covered  it  nicely  with  a  thick 
comfortable.  It  was  pretty  hard — I  did  not  rest  well.  So, 
one  sleepless  night,  I  said  aloud,  '  I  will  just  ask  the  Lord  to 
send  me  a  set  of  springs.'  I  kept  on  day  by  day.  When  I 
felt  the  severe  pain  which  denoted  illness,  I  thought  of  my 
hard  bed  and  prayed  more  earnest.  One  day  my  physician 
spoke  of  my  hard  bed.  I  told  him  I  was  going  to  have 
a  better  one ;  I  was  praying  for  some  springs.  And  so  I  kept 
on.  One  day,  a  lady  friend  said  something  about  my  bed.  I 
did  not  say  much.  Somehow  I  felt  I  must  not ;  I  wanted  to 
have  it  all  the  Lord's  doings,  if  I  ever  had  any.  One  day 
my  sister  said  a  man  was  at  the  door,  who  wanted  to  fit  a  set 
of  springs  to  my  bed.     Why,  I  can't  tell  how  I  felt ;  even 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  71 

after  God  had  answered  my  simple  prayers,  and  honored  my 
faith  so  many  times,  I  was  astonished  at  this.  But  she 
helped  me  up,  and  the  bed  was  fitted  with  nice,  new  springs. 
And  they  were  mine.  The  man  could  not  tell  anything 
about  them.  My  sister  says,  '  Annie,  did  you  order  them  ?  ' 
I  said,  'No.'     'Don't  you  know  who  sent  them  ?  '     I  said, 

'  No.'     '  Did  you  ask  Mrs.  W to  order  them  ?  '     I  said, 

'  I  did  not ;  I  would  lay  here  six  years  before  I  would  do  it. 
No,  somebody  had  a  hand  in  it,  but  the  Lord  sent  them,  be- 
cause I  prayed  for  them  all  the  time.'  A  friend  .was  present 
when  my  physician  called.  I  told  him  about  the  new  springs. 
His  kind  face  lit  up  grandly  at  this  new  evidence  that  God 
did  answer  humble,  faithful  prayer,  and  he  turned  to  my 
friend  with  the  words:  'I  am  glad  they  were  just  what  she 
has  been  praying  for.'  I  do  not  think  he  had  anything  to  do 
about  them.  But  these  springs  are  only  another  proof  of  his 
love  and  power,  in  touching  the  hearts  of  his  children  to 
help  others.  And  they  have  their  reward.  Soon  after  this, 
a  lady  sent  me  a  white  spread  for  my  bed.  Surely,  God 
is  good  to  his  little  ones." 

The  Healing  of  Mary  Theobald. 

The  following  incident  is  related  by  her  pastor,  at  Woburn, 
Mass.,  who,  for  three  and  a  half  years,  was  well  acquainted 
with  her  ph^^sical  condition,  and  who  testified,  in  The  Congre- 
gationallst,  that  no  medicine,  or  physician's  aid  or  advice, 
was  of  any  avail : 

"  From  the  first  of  my  acquaintance  to  the  last,  she  had  an 
unswerving  confidence  in  her  recover}^  Many  times  has  she 
said  to  me  :  '  I  believe  that  I  shall  be  well.  Jesus  will  raise 
me  up.     I  shall  hear  you  preach  some  day.' 

"But,  in  common  with  the  friends  who  were  watching  her 
case,  and  with  the  physicians  who  had  exhausted  their  skill 
upon  her  in  vain,  I  had  little  or  no  hope  for  her.  It  seemed 
to  me  that  her  life  was  to  be  one  of  suffering  ;  that  God  was 


72  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER 

keeping  lier  with  us  that  we  might  have  a  heroic  example  of 
what  His  grace  could  enable  one  to  hear  and  to  become. 

"  A  few  days  ago,  I  received  from  her  lips  the  following 
statement  of  the  origin  and  progress  of  her  sickness  :  '  My 
tirst  sickness  occurred  when  I  was  about  sixteen  3'ears  old. 
This  illness  lasted  for  a  year.  Indeed,  I  was  never  well 
again.  That  sickness  left  me  with  a  bad  humor,  which,  for 
two  3^ears,  kept  me  covered  with  boils.  When  the  boils  dis- 
appeared, the  trouble  was  internal.  Physicians  feared  a  can- 
cer. For  ten  years,  I  was  sick,  more  or  less — sometimes  able 
to  work,  sometimes  utterly  prostrate. 

"  ^  My  second  severe  illness  began  in  the  Autumn  of  1871. 
I  had  been  failing  for  two  years.  Then  I  was  obliged  to 
give  up.  I  was  on  the  bed  five  months.  From  this  illness  I 
never  recovered  so  as  to  labor  or  walk  abroad.  When  not 
confined  to  my  bed,  I  have  been  on  the  lounge,  as  you  have 
known  me.  No  one  can  ever  know  the  suffering  which  these 
years  have  brought  me.' 

"  My  acquaintance  with  her  began  in  the  Spring  of  1873. 
Several  times  since  I  have  known  her,  she  has  been  carried 
so  low  that  we  have  thought  her  release  near  at  hand;  and, 
indeed,  the  general  tendency  has  been  downwards.  I  recently 
asked  an  intelligent  physician,  who  had  attended  her  for  a 
year  or  more,  to  give  me  the  facts  in  her  case.  He  replied  ; 
'  She  is  diseased  throughout.  Her  system  is  thoroughly 
soured.  It  responds  to  nothing.  Almost  every  function  is 
abnormal.  There  is  no  help  for  her  in  medicine.'  Other 
physicians  had  tried  their  skill  with  the  same  result.  It  was 
generally  admitted  by  doctors,  friends  and  family,  that  noth- 
ing more  could  be  done  for  her.  While  all  saw  only  suffer-t 
ing  and  an  early  death  in  store  for  her,  yet  she  confidently 
expected  to  be  well,  and  her  faith  never  waned. 

"  It  was  her  custom  to  spend  a  few  weeks  each  year  in  the 
family  of  one  of  the  sisters  in  the  church.  At  her  last  visit, 
it  was  evident  to  this  lady  that  Mary  was  not  so  well  as  in 
former  years.     One  day,  when  conversation  turned  upon  this 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  73 

topic,  she  felt  constrained  to  express  her  fears.  But  Mary 
was  hopefuL  A  proposition  was  made,  and  arrangements 
were  perfected  to  visit  Doctor  CuUis,  to  secure  the  henefit 
of  his  prayers.  But  her  feebleness  was  so  great  that  the  plan 
was  abandoned.  '  If,'  said  Mrs.  F.,  '  faith  is  to  cure  you,  why 
go  to  Doctor  Cullis,  or  to  any  one  T  Let  us  go  to  God  our- 
selves ;  and,  Mary,  if  you  have  faith  that  God  can  and  will 
cure  you  sometime,  why  not  believe  that  He  will  cure  you 
now?' 

"She  felt  herself  cast  on  God  alone.  All  hope  of  human 
help  was  at  an  end.  She  had  thought  it,  hitherto,  enough 
patiently  to  wait  His  time.  She  saw  that,  after  all,  she  must 
not  dishonor  God  by  limiting  His  power.  Again  her  Bible 
opened  to  the  familiar  passages,  Hhe  prayer  of  faith  shall 
save  the  sick;'  '  according  to  your  faith  be  it  unto  3'ou.'  She 
felt  that  the  time  for  testing  her  faith  had  come.  She  would 
dishonor  the  Lord  no  longer.  Eequesting  the  prayers  of  the 
family  that  God  would  now  grant  healing  and  restoration,  she 
tottered  to  her  couch,  and,  asking  that  in  the  morning  she 
might  be  well,  calmly  closed  her  eyes  in  the  assurance  that  it 
would  be  so.  And  according  to  her  faith,  so  it  was.  She 
came  forth  in  the  morning  without  a  remnant  of  the  pain 
which  had  filled  a  decade  of  years  ivith  agony.  That  Sab- 
bath was  to  her,  indeed,  '  a  high  day.'  A  week  later  the  fre- 
quent prophecy  that  she  should  hear  me  preach  was  ful- 
lilled. 

'^  Not  a  vestige  of  suffering  remained.  So  far  as  that 
is  concerned,  there  was  not  a  hint  left  that  she  had  been 
an  invalid  for  almost  a  score  of  years. 

"  She  immediately  took  her  place  in  the  family  as  a  well 
person.  Two  days  after,  I  saw  her.  She  came  to  meet  me 
with  a  step  light  and  strong,  and  with  a  face  written  all  over 
with  thankfulness  and  joy.  Since  that  time  all  the  aban- 
doned duties  of  active  life  have  been  resumed.  When  last  I 
saw  her,  she  was  in  bounding  health  and  spirits,  declaring 
that  she  could  not  remember  when  slie  had  felt  so  happy  and 


74  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

well.  That  night — one  of  the  coldest  of  the  winter,  the 
roads  at  their  iciest — she  walked  more  than  half  a  mile  to 
and  from  the  prayer-meeting. 

It  is  difficult  for  those  who  are  not  conversant  with  the 
case  to  believe  it,  yet  there  is  no  illusion  in  it.  That  she 
went  to  sleejy  a  suffering,  feeble,  shattered  woman,  and  aivoke 
free  from  ^^am,  and  that  she  lias  been  gaining  in  strength 
ever  since,  are  facts  that  cannot  be  doubted.^^ 

How  Prayer  Helped  him  to  Keep  the 
Pledge. 

In  a  rural  district,  in  the  North  of  England,  lived  a  shoe- 
maker who  had  signed  the  temperance  pledge  often,  but 
never  had  strength  to  keep  it.  After  a  while,  he  was  able  to 
keep  it,  and  reformed  entirely.  A  friend  was  curious  to 
learn  how  he  had  been  able,  at  last,  to  win  the  victory,  and 
went  to  see  him. 

"  Well,  William,  how  are  you  ?  '' 

"  Oh,  pretty  well.  I  had  only  eighteen  pence  and  an  old 
hen  when  I  signed,  and  a  few  old  scores ;  but  now  I  have 
about  ten  pounds  in  the  bank,  and  my  wife  and  I  have  lived 
through  the  summer  without  getting  into  debt.  But  as  I  am 
only  thirty  weeks  old  yet  (so  he  styled  himself),  I  cannot  be 
so  strong  yet,  my  friend." 

"  How  is  it  you  never  signed  before  ?  " 

"I  did  sign;  but  I  k&ep  it  different  now  to  what  I  did 
before,  friend." 

^^ How  is  this?" 

''Why,  I  gae  doon  on  my  knees  and  pray." 

Here  was  the  real  strength  of  prayer.  His  own  resolves 
were  of  no  value ;  but  when  he  called  on  God  to  help,  then 
came  new  strength,  and  he  was  kept  by  restraining  grace. 
The  bitter  experience  of  those  who  pledge  and  pledge  over 
and  over  again,  and  never  gain  the  victory,  at  last  must  come 
to  either  of  two  ends — their  utter  destruction,  or  else  to  call 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  75 

on  God  in  prayer,  to  help  them  keep  the  pledge  manfully,  and 
make  them  steadfast  in  their  resolutions. 


One  who  Refused  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  following  incident  is  related  by  D.  L.  Mood}^,  the 
Evangelist,  which  contains  a  warning,  how  the  Holy  Spirit 
avenges  itself  to  those  who  refuse  its  admonitions.  It  is  a 
remarkable  instance  of  the  control  of  an  over-ruling  God, 
who  alone  knew  that  man's  mind,  and  which  alone  could 
bring  that  text  so  often  to  his  memory : 

"  There  was  a  young  man  in  my  native  village — he  was  not 
a  young  man  when  I  was  talking  to  him — we  were  working 
on  the  farm  together  one  day  and  he  was  weeping ;  I  asked 
him  what  he  was  weeping  about,  and  he  told  me  a  very 
strange  story.  When  he  left  home  his  mother  gave  him  the 
text :  '  Seek  ye  first  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteous- 
ness, and  all  these  things  tvill  he  added  unto  you!'  He  was 
ambitious  to  get  rich,  and  thought  when  he  had  got  comforta- 
ble, that  was  the  time  to  give  his  attention  to  religion.  He 
went  from  village  to  village,  and  got  nothing  to  do.  Sunday 
came,  and  he  went  into  the  village  church.  What  icas  his 
great  surprise  to  hear  the  minister  preach  from  that  text.  It 
went  down  into  his  heart — he  thought  that  it  was  his  mother's 
prayers  that  were  following  him — he  thought  the  whole 
sermon  was  for  himself,  and  thought  he  would  like  to  get  out. 
For  days  he  could  not  get  that  text  and  sermon  out  of  his 
mind.  He  went  on  still,  from  village  to  village,  and  at  last 
he  went  into  another  church  after  weeks  had  rolled  away. 
He  went  for  some  Sundays  to  the  church,  and  it  wasn't 
a  great  while  before  the  minister  gave  out  this  very  text.  He 
thought  surely  it  was  God  calling  him  then,  and  he  said,  cool- 
ly and  deliberately,  he  would  not  seek  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
He  went  on  in  this  way,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  to 
his  great  surprise,  he  heard  the  third  sermon  from  the  third 
minister  on  the  same  text.    He  tried  to  stifle  it,  but  it  followed 


4  b  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

him.  At  last  he  made  up  his  mind  he  would  not  go  to  church 
any  more.  When  he  came  back  to  ISTorthfield,  after  years, 
his  mother  had  died,  but  the  text  kept  coming  to  him  over 
and  over,  and  he  said,  '  I  will  not  become  a  Christian ; '  and  said 
he  to  me,  'Mood}",  my  heart  is  as  hard  as  that  stone.'  It 
was  all  Greek  to  me,  because  I  was  not  a  Christian  myself  at 
the  time.  After  my  conversion,  in  Boston,  he  was  about  the 
first  man  I  thought  of.  When  I  got  back  and  asked  my 
mother  about  him,  she  told  me  he  was  gone  out  of  his  mind, 
and  to  every  one  who  went  to  the  asylum  to  see  him  he 
pointed  his  finger  and  said :  '  Seek  ye  first  the  Kingdom 
of  God  and  His  Righteousness.''  When  I  went  back  to  my 
native  village,  after  that,  I  was  told  he  was  still  out  of  his 
mind,  but  at  home.  I  went  to  see  him,  and  asked  him  did  he 
know  me.  He  was  rocking  backwards  and  forwards  in  his 
rocking  chair,  and  he  gave  me  that  vacant  stare  and  pointed 
to  me  as  he  said,  ^  Young  man,  seek  first  the  Kingdom 
of  God  and  His  Righteousness.'  When,  last  month,  I  laid 
down  my  younger  brother  in  his  grave,  I  could  not  help 
but  think  of  that  man  lying  but  a  few  j^ards  away.  May 
every  man  and  woman  here  be  wise  for  eternity  and  seek 
now  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  His  Righteousness,  is  my 
prayer." 

The  Praying  Shoe-maker. 

A  correspondent  of  The  American  Messenger  relates  this 
instance  of  a  poor  man  in  the  village  where  he  lived,  who, 
with  a  family  of  young  children  and  a  wife  in  very  feeble 
health,  found  it  extremely  difficult  to  obtain  a  livelihood.  He 
was  at  length  compelled  to  work  by  the  week  for  a  shoe- 
dealer  in  the  city,  four  miles  from  the  village,  returning 
to  his  family  every  Saturda}^  evening,  and  leaving  home  early 
on  Monday  morning. 

He  usually  brought  home  the  avails  of  his  week's  labor  in 
provisions  for  the  use  of  his  family  during  the  following 
week ;  but  on  one  cold  and  stormy  night,  in  the  depth  of  win- 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  7? 

ter,  he  went  towards  his  humble  dwelling  with  empty  hands^ 
but  a  full  heart.  His  employer  had  declared  himself  unable^ 
to  pay  him  a  penny  that  night,  and  the  shoemaker,  too 
honest  to  incur  a  debt  without  knowing  that  he  should  be 
able  to  cancel  it,  bent  his  weary  steps  homeward,  trusting 
that  He  who  hears  the  ravens  when  they  cry,  would  fill  the 
mouths  of  his  little  family.  He  knew  that  he  should  find  a 
warm  house  and  loving  hearts  to  receive  him,  but  he  knew, 
too,  that  a  disappointment  awaited  them  which  would  make 
lit  least  one  heart  ache. 

When  he  entered  his  cottage,  cold  and  wet  with  the  rain, 
he  saw  a  bright  fire,  brighter  faces,  and  a  table  neatly  spread 
for  the  anticipated  repast.  The  tea-kettle  was  sending  forth 
its  cloud  of  steam,  all  ready  for  "the  cup  which  cheers, 
but  not  inebriates,"  and  a  pitcher  of  milk,  which  had  been 
sent  in  by  a  kind  neighbor,  was  waiting  for  the  bread  so  anx- 
iously expected  by  the  children.  The  sad  father  confessed 
his  poverty,  and  his  wife  in  tears  begged  him  to  make  so7ne 
effort  to  procure  food  for  them  before  the  Sabbath.  He 
replied,  "  Let  us  ask  God  to  give  us  our  daily  bread.  Prayer 
avails  with  God  when  we  ask  for  temporal  good,  as  well 
as  when  we  implore  spiritual  blessings."  The  sorrowing 
group  knelt  around  the  family  altar,  and  while  the  father  was 
entreating  fervently  for  the  mercies  they  so  much  needed,  a 
gentle  knocking  at  the  door  was  heard.  When  the  prayer 
was  ended  the  door  was  opened,  and  there  stood  a  woman  in 
the  "peltings  of  the  storm,"  who  had  never  been  at  that 
door  before,  though  she  lived  only  a  short  distance  from 
it.  She  had  a  napkin  in  her  hand,  which  contained  a  large 
loaf  of  bread ;  and  half  apologizing  for  offering  it,  said  she 
had  unintentionally  made  "a  larger  batch  of  bread"  than 
usual  that  day,  and  though  she  hardly  knew  why,  she  thought 
it  might  be  acceptable  there. 

After  expressing  their  sincere  gratitude  to  the  woman,  the 
devout  shoe-maker  and  his  wife  gave  thanks  to  God  with 
overflowing  hearts.     While  the  little  flock  were  appeasing 


78  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

their  hunger  with  the  nice  new  bread  and  milk,  the  father 
repaired  to  the  house  where  I  was  an  inmate,  and  told 
his  artless  tale  with  streaming  eyes,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to 
say,  that  he  returned  to  his  home  that  night  with  a  bas- 
ket heavily  laden,  and  a  heart  full  of  gratitude  to  a  prayer- 
answering  God. 

How  the  Lord  Controls  even  the  Locomo- 
tive and  the  Railroad  Train. 

A  remarkable  instance  of  how  the  Lord  controlled  cir- 
cumstances for  the  detention  of  one  train,  and  speeded 
the  arrival  of  the  other,  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  a  poor 
widow,  who  was  in  anxiety  and  distress,  is  thus  known  to  the 
■editor  of   The  WatcJiman  and  Reflector: 

"  Not  long  ago  an  engineer  brought  his  train  to  a  stand  at 
a  little  Massachusetts  village,  where  the  passengers  have  five 
minutes  for  lunch.  A  lady  came  along  the  platform  and 
said :  '  The  conductor  tells  me  the  train  at  the  junction 
in  P leaves  fifteen  minutes  before  our  arrival.  It  is  Sat- 
urday night,  that  is  the  last  train.  I  have  a  very  sick  child 
in  the  car,  and  no  money  for  a  hotel,  and  none  for  a  pri- 
vate conveyance  for  the  long,  long  journey  into  the  country. 
What  shall  I  do  ? '  '  Well,'  said  the  engineer,  '  I  wish  I 
could  tell  you.'  ^  Would  it  be  possible  for  j^ou  to  hurry 
a  little  ?'  said  the  anxious,  tearful  mother.  'No,  madam,  I 
have  the  time-table,  and  the  rules  say  I  must  run  by  it.' 

She  turned  sorrowfully  away,  leaving  the  bronzed  face 
of  the  engineer  wet  with  tears.  Presently  she  returned  and 
said,  'Are  you  a  Christian  ?  '  'I  trust  I  am,'  was  the  reply. 
'Will  you  pray  with  me  that  the  Lord  may,  in  some  way, 
delay  the  train  at  the  junction?'  'Why,  yes,  I  will  pray 
with  you,  but  I  have  not  much  faith.'  Just  then,  the  con- 
ductor cried,  'All  aboard.'  The  poor  woman  hurried  back  to 
her  deformed  and  sick  child,  and  away  went  the  train,  climb- 
ing the  grade.     'Somehow,'  says  the  engineer,  'everything 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  79 

worked  to  a  charm.  As  1 2^>(^!/ed,  I  coiddnH  help  letting  my 
engine  out  just  a  little.  We  hardly  stopped  at  the  first  sta- 
tion, people  got  on  and  off  with  wonderful  alacrity,  the 
conductor's  lantern  was  in  the  air  in  half  a  minute,  and  then 
away  again.  Once  over  the  summit,  it  was  dreadful  easy 
to  give  her  a  little  more,  and  then  a  little  more,  as  I  prayed, 
till  she  seemed  to  shoot  through  the  air  like  an  arrow.  Some- 
how I  couldn't  hold  her,  knowing  I  had  the  road,  and  so  we 
dashed  up  to  the  junction  six  minutes  ahead  of  time.' 
There  stood  the  train,  and  the  conductor  with  his  lantern  on 
his  arm.  *  Well,'  said  he,  ^luill  you  tell  me  ivh'it  I  am  ivait- 
ing  here  for?  Somehow  I  felt  I  must  wait  your  coming  to^ 
night,  hut  I  clonH  knoiv  ivhy.''  'I  guess,'  said  the  brother 
conductor,  '  it  is  for  this  woman,  with  her  sick  and  deformed 
child,  dreadfully  anxious  to  get  home  this  Saturday  night.' 
But  the  man  on  the  engine  and  the  grateful  mother  think 
they  can  tell  why  the  train  waited.  God  held  it  to  answer 
their  prayers." 

Think  of  this  wonderful  improbability  according  to  natural 
circumstances.  These  trains  never  connected  with  each  other, 
nor  were  intended  to.  There  was  no  message  sent  ahead  to 
stop.  There  was  not  the  slightest  business  reason  for  wait- 
ing, yet  the  second  conductor,  on  arrival  of  the  first,  asks 
this  question,  "What  am  I  tvaiting  for/^  and  the  answer 
of  the  first  is  more  singular,  "I  don't  know." 

Anotlier  Instance  of  Superhuman  Con- 
trol of  the  Locomotive,  in  Answer  to 
Prayer. 

An  exact  parallel  instance  to  the  foregoing  is  given  in 
the  experience  of  a  correspondent  of  The  Christia?i,  which 
occurred  in  the  latter  part  of  November,  1864,  while  travel- 
ing with  her  aged  father  and  two  small  girls : 

"  We  started  from  New  Hampshire  on  Thursday  morning, 
expecting  to  have  ample  time    to    get    through  to  Indiana 


80  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

before  Saturday  night ;  but,  after  we  crossed  the  St.  Law- 
rence Eiver,  the  next  day,  I  think,  there  was  a  smash-up  on 
a  freight  train,  which  hindered  our  train  about  two  hours.  I 
began  to  feel  anxious,  as  I  knew  our  limited  means  would  not 
permit  us  to  stop  long  on  the  way.  After  the  cars  had  started 
again,  I  inquired  of  the  conductor  what  time  we  should  get 
to  Toledo,  fearing  we  should  not  reach  there  in  time  for  the 
down  train.  He  said  it  ivould  he  impossible  to  gain  the  time. 
Soon  they  changed  conductors,  and  I  made  a  similar  inquiry, 
getting  about  the  same  answer.  Still  I  hoped,  till  we  reached 
the  Detroit  Eiver.  Here  I  found  that,  though  they  had  put 
on  all  the  steam  they  dared  to,  they  were  almost  an  hour 
behind  time,  so  I  should  have  to  stay  over  till  Sunday 
night. 

''  After  getting  seated  in  the  cars  on  the  other  side,  I  ven- 
tured to  ask  the  conductor  if  we  should  get  to  Toledo  in  time 
for  the  down  train.  He  readily  said,  '  No,  madam,,  impossi- 
ble !  If  we  put  on  all  the  steam  we  dare  to,  we  shall  be  more 
than  half  an  hour  behind  time.  If  we  were  on  some  trains 
we  might  hope  they  would  wait ;  but  on  this,  never  !  He  is 
the  most  exact  conductor  you  ever  saiv.  He  was  never  known 
to  wait  a  second,  say  nothing  about  a  minute,  beyond  the  time.^ 
I  then  inquired  if  we  could  not  staj^  at  the  depot.  He  said, 
No ;  we  should  all  freeze  to  death,  for  the  fire  is  out  till  Sun- 
day evening. 

^'  A  gentleman  sitting  in  front  of  us  said  he  would  show  us 
a  good  hotel  near  by,  as  he  was  acquainted  there.  I  thanked 
him,  but  sunk  back  on  my  seat.  Covering  my  ej^es  with  my 
hand,  and  raising  my  heart  to  God,  I  said,  ^  0,  God,  if  thou 
art  my  Father,  and  I  am  thy  child,  put  it  into  the  heart  of 
that  conductor  to  wait  till  we  get  there.' 

"Soon  I  became  calm,  and  fell  asleep,  not  realizing  that 
God  would  answer  my  poor  prayer ;  but,  when  we  reached 
Toledo,  to  the  astonishment  of  us  all,  there  stood  the  conduct- 
or, luanting  to  know  the  reason  why  he  had  to  ivait,  when 
our  conductor  told  him  there  was  a  lady  with  her  crippled 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  81 

father  and  two  little  daughters,  who  were  going  down  on  that 
train. 

''  Soon  as  all  were  out  of  the  car,  both  conductors  -came  with 
their  lanterns  and  gave  their  aid  in  helping  my  father  to  the 
other  train,  where  they  had  reserved  seats  by  keeping  the  door 
locked.  All  was  hurry  and  confusion  to  me,  as  I  had  m\' 
eye  on  father,  fearing  he  might  fall,  it  being  very  slippery, 
when  the  baggage-master  said,  'Your  checks,  madam!'  I 
handed  them  to  him,  and  rushed  into  the  car  ;  but,  before  I 
got  seated,  the  car  started,  and  I  had  no  checks  for  my  bag- 
gage. Again  my  heart  cried  out, '  0,  Thou  that  hearest  prayer, 
take  care  of  my  baggage ! '  believing  He  could  do  that  as  well 
as  make  the  conductor  wait.  In  a  few  moments  the  con- 
ductor came  to  me  with  a  face  radiant  with  smiles,  saying, 
'3fadam,  I  tvaited  a  ivhole  half  hour  for  you, — a  thing  I 
never  did  before  since  I  was  a  conductor,  so  much  as  to  wait 
one  tninute  after  viy  time  J  He  said,  '  I  know  it  was  your 
father  that  I  was  waiting  for,  because  there  w^as  nothing  else 
on  the  train  for  which  I  could  have  waited.'  I  exclaimed,  in 
a  half  suppressed  tone,  '  Praise  the  Lord  ! '  I  could  not  help 
it ;  it  gushed  out.  Then  he  said,  ^At  the  very  moment  all. 
were  on  hoard,  and  I  was  ready  to  start,  such  a  feeling  came 
over  me  as  I  never  had  in  my  life  before.  I  could  not  start. 
Something  kept  saying  to  me,  you  must  tvait,  for  there  is 
something  pending  on  that  train  you  must  wait  for.  I  waited, 
and  here  you  are,  all  safe.'  Again  my  heart  said,  Praise  the 
Lord !  and  he  started  to  leave  me,  when  I  said,  '  But  there  is 
one  thing.'  'What  is  it  ?'  was  his  quick  reply.  'I  gave  the 
baggage-master  my  checks,  and  have  none  in  return.'  'What 
were  the  numbers  ? '  I  told  him.  '  I  have  them,'  he  said, 
handing  them  to  me, '  but  your  baggage  will  not  be  there  till 
Monday  morning.  We  had  no  time  to  put  it  on,  we  had 
waited  so  long.' " 
6 


82  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER, 

Another  Wonderful  Record  of  $25. 

A  Christian  minister^  living  in  Northern  Indiana,  was  in 
want,  and  knelt  in  prayer  again  and  again  before  his  Father 
in  heaven.  His  quarterly  allowance  had  been  withheld,  and 
want  stared  him  in  the  face.  Constrained  by  urgent  need, 
and  shut  up  to  God  for  help,  he  pleaded  repeatedly  for  a  sup- 
ply of  his  temporal  wants.  Now  see  how  extraordinary  was 
the  plan  of  the  Lord  to  send  relief. 

"  In  one  of  the  lovely  homes  of  Massachusetts,  while  the 
snow  was  falling  and  the  winds  were  howling  without,  a  lady 
sat  on  one  side  of  the  cheerful  fire,  knitting  a  little  stocking 
for  her  oldest  grandson,  and  her  husband,  opposite  to  her,  was 
reading  aloud  a  missionary  paper,  when  the  following  passage 
arrested  the  attention  of  the  lady  and  fastened  itself  in  her 
memory. 

"  'In  consequence  c£  failure  to  obtain  my  salary  when  due^ 
I  have  been  so  oppressed  with  care  and  want,  as  to  make  it 
painfully  difficult  to  perform  my  duties  as  a  minister.  There 
is  very  little  prospect,  seemingly,  of  improvement  in  this  re- 
spect for  some  time  to  come.  What  I  say  of  my  own  pain- 
fully inadequate  support,  is  substantially  true  of  nearly  all 
your  missionaries  in  this  State.  You,  of  course,  cannot  be 
blamed  for  this.  You  are  but  the  almoners  of  the  churches, 
and  can  be  expected  to  appropriate  only  what  they  furnish. 
This,  hoiaever,  the  Master  will  cliarge  to  somebody  as  a  griev- 
ous fault ;  for  it  is  not  His  will  that  his  ministers  should 
labor  unrequited.' 

''  This  extract  was  without  name  or  date.  It  was  simply 
headed  'from  a  missionary  iA  Northern  Indiana.'  Scores  of 
readers  probably  gave  it  only  a  passing  glance.  Not  so  the 
lady  who  sat  knitting  by  the  fire  and  heard  her  husband  read 
it.  The  words  sank  into  her  mind,  and  dwelt  in  her  thoughts. 
The  clause,  '  This,  however,  the  Master  ivill  charge  to  some- 
body as  a  grievous  fault,''  especially  seemed  to  follow  her 
wherever  sh3  went.     The  case,  sha  said,  haunted  her.     She 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  83 

seemed  to  be  herself  tl-iat  very  ^ somebody^  who  was  to  answer 
at  the  bar  of  God  for  the  curtailed  supplies  and  straitened 
means  of  this  humble  minister. 

''  Impelled  by  an  unseen,  but,  as  she  believes,  a  divine  pres- 
ence and  power,  after  asking  counsel  and  guidance  of  the  Lord, 
she  took  twenty-five  dollars  which  were  at  her  own  disposal, 

and  requested  her  husband  to  give  it  to  the  Eev.  Dr.  H 

for  the  writer  of  the  above  communication,  if  he  could  devise 
any  w^ay  to  obtain  the  writer's  address. 

*'  Doctor  H is  a  prompt  man,  who  does  not  let  gold 

destined  to  such  an  end  rest  in  his  pocket.  Familiar  with  the 
various  organizations  of  the  benevolent  societies,  and  only  too 
happy  to  have  an  agency  in  supplying  the  wants  of  a  laborer 
in  Christ's  vineyard,  he  soon  started  the  money  on  its  appointed 
errand.  Early  in  April,  the  lady  in  her  rural  home  had  the 
happiness  of  receiving  the  following  note,  of  which  we  omit 
nothing,  save  the  names  of  persons  and  places  : 

"  ^  Dear  Madam. — I  have  just  received  a  draft  for  twenty- 
five  dollars,  as  a  special  donation  from  you.  This  I  do  with 
profound  gratitude  to  you  for  this  unselfish  and  Christ-like 
deed,  and  to  Him  who  put  it  into  your  heart  to  do  it.  How 
you,  a  lady  a  thousand  miles  away,  could  know  that  I  was, 
U7id  had  been  for  some  time,  urged  by  unusual  weed  to  i:)ray 
for  succor  and  worldly  support  with  unwonted  fervency,  is  a 
matter  of  more  than  curious  inquiry.  It  is  an  answer  to  my 
prayer,  for  the  Lord  employs  the  instrumentality  of  his  chiU 
dren  to  ansiver  prayer,  and^  when  it  is  necessary,  he  moves 
them  to  it.  This  is  not  the  first  nor  second  time  that  I  have 
been  laid  under  special  obligation  by  Christian  sympathy  and 
timely  aid.  May  He  who  said,  He  that  giveth  a  cup  of  cold 
water  to  a  disciple,  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  shall  not  lose 
his  reward,  repay  you  a  thousand-fold  for  this  favor.' 

"  Does  not  this  little  incident  illustra-te  the  power  of  prayer? 
The  man  of  God,  weary  and  heavy-laden,  in  his  closet  in  Indi- 
ana, sr>rer.d  his  case  before  the  Lcid.     A  disciple  in  Eastern 


84  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Massachusetts,  a  thousand  miles  away  from  the  spot  where 
the  prayer  was  offered,  who  did  not  know  anything  about 
him  or  his  need,  is  touched  with  his  wants,  and  moved  to  send 
him  immediate  aid.'' 

Mr.  Spnrgeon's  Cow. 

"  My  grandfather  was  a  very  poor  minister,  and  kept  a  cow,, 
which  was  a  very  great  help  in  the  support  of  his  children — 
he  had  ten  of  them  ; — and  the  cow  took  the  "  staggers  "  and 
died.  ^  What  will  you  do  now  ? '  said  my  grandmother.  '  I 
cannot  tell  what  we  shall  do  now,'  said  he,  '  but  I  know  what 
God  will  do :  God  will  provide  for  us.  We  must  have  milk 
for  the  children.' 

"  The  next  morning,  there  came  £20  to  him.  He  had  never- 
made  application  to  the  fund  for  the  relief  of  ministers  ;  but^ 
on  that  day,  there  were  £6  left  when  they  had  divided  the- 
money,  and  one  said,  '  There  is  poor  Mr.  Spurgeon  down  in 
Essex,  suppose  we  send  it  to  him.'  The  chairman — a  Mr. 
Morle}^  of  his  day — said,  '  We  had  better  make  it  £10,  and 
I'll  give  £5.'  Another  £5  was  offered  by  another  member,  if 
a  like  amount  could  be  raised,  to  make  it  up  to  £20 ;  which 
was  done.  They  knew  nothing  about  my  grandfather's  cow;: 
but  God  did,  you  see ;  and  there  was  the  new  cow  for  him. 
And  those  gentlemen  in  London  were  not  aware  of  the  impor- 
tance of  the  service  which  they  had  rendered. 

Charles  Spurgeon. "^ 

"'  Trust  in  the  Lord." 

"  A  poor  negro  woman,  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  had 
no  means  of  support  for  herself  and  two  little  children,  except 
the  labor  of  her  own  hands  ;  yet  she  found  means  out  of  her 
deep  poverty  to  give  something  for  the  promotion  of  the  cause 
of  her  Redeemer,  and  would  never  fail  to  pay,  on  the  very  day 
it  became  due,  her  regular  subscription  to  the  church  of  which 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  85 

sTie  was  a  member.  In  a  hard  Winter  she  had  found  great 
difficulty  in  supplying  the  pressing  needs  of  her  little  family ; 
yet  the  few  pence  for  religious  purposes  had  been  regularly 
put  by. 

"  As  one  season  for  the  contribution  came  round,  she  had 
only  a  little  corn,  a  single  salt  herring,  and  a  five-cent  piece 
remaining  of  her  little  store.  Yet  she  did  not  waver ;  she 
ground  the  corn,  prepared  her  children's  supper,  and  then, 
with  a  light  heart  and  cheerful  countenance,  set  out  to  meet- 
ing, where  she  gave  joyfully  the  five  cents,  the  last  she  had 
in  the  ivorld. 

*'  Returning  from  the  church,  she  passed  the  house  of  a 
lady  to  whom,  a  long  time  before,  she  had  sold  a  piece  of  pork, 
so  long  indeed  that  she  had  entirely  forgotten  the  circum- 
stance. But,  seeing  her  this  morning,  the  lady  called  her  in, 
apologized  for  having  been  so  tardy  in  the  settlement,  and 
then  inquired  how  much  it  was.  Old  Sukey  did  not  know, 
and  the  lady,  determined  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  gave  her  two 
dollars,  besides  directing  her  housekeeper  to  put  up  a  basket 
of  flour,  sugar,  coffee,  and  other  luxuries  for  her  use.  Poor 
Sukey  returned  home  with  a  joyful  heart,  saying,  as  she  dis- 
played her  treasures,  "  See,  my  children,  the  Lord  is  a  good 
paymaster,  giving  us  '  a  hundred-fold  even  in  this  present  life, 
and  in  the  world  to  come  life  everlasting.' " 

Exactly  Eighty  Dollars.— "  They  are  Safe 
that  Trust  in  Thee." 

A  clergyman  somewhat  advanced  in  years  recently  related 
to  a  correspondent  of  The  Messenger  an  incident  in  his  own 
life,  which  well  illustrates  the  provident  care  of  our  heavenly 
Father  over  his  children. 

"  His  first  church  was  at  V ,  and,  though  he  labored 

diligently,  working  with  his  own  hands  for  his  support,  he 
became  eighty  dollars  in  debt.  It  was  a  grievous  burden,  and 
all  his  efforts  to  remove  it  proved  unavailing.    One  day,  when 


86  ANSWERS    TO    PKAYEB. 

he  felt  especially  cast  down,  he  retired  to  pray  over  the  mat 
ter,  and  on  his  knees  he  besought  the  Lord  to  aid,  as  he  des- 
paired of  help  from  any  other  source.  He  felt  strengthened 
and  hopeful  when  he  left  his  closet,  and  entered  his  church  on 
Sabbath  morning  with  a  lighter  heart  than  usual.  As  he 
passed  the  door  a  young  lady  met  him,  and  placed  in  his 
hand  fifUj  dollars,  saying  that  twenty  was  to  go  for  the  Sab- 
bath-school library,  and  the  remaining  thirti/ was  for  himself. 
He  was  so  surprised  that  he  scarcely  trusted  his  senses,  and 
asked  her  not  less  than  three  times,  that  he  might  not  be 
mistaken.  As  he  preached  that  day,  God  seemed  ^a  very 
present  help.'  At  the  close  of  the  service,  a  young  man, 
noted  for  his  free-hearted,  impulsive  character,  stepped  up 
and  requested  that  he  would  perform  a  marriage  ceremony  for 
him  the  next  week.  He  did  so,  and  received  for  his  services 
a  bill,  which  he  placed  in  his  pocket,  and,  on  looking  at  it 
afterwards,  found  it  fifty  dollars,  thus  making  up  exactly  the 
eighty  he  had  prayed  the  Lord  to  send  him." 

We  too  often  forget  that  God  is  as  willing  to  listen  to  our 
temporal  wants  as  to  our  spiritual,  and  that  "  no  good  thing 
will  He  withhold  from  them  that  walk  uprightly." 

A  Prayer  for  Four  Dollars. 

A  Home  Missionary  from  Brooklyn  called  one  day  upon  an 
editor  to  gather  some  tracts  for  distribution  which  he  liad 
published.  The  editor  became  interested  in  the  story  of  his 
visits  aimong  the  poor,  and  though  at  first  not  specially  moved 
to  give  money  at  that  time,  yet  toward  the  last,  putting  his 
hand  into  his  pocket  he  pulled  out  all  the  bills  there  were 
there,  $4,  and  gave  them  to  the  missionary  with  these  words : 
'^  There  is  something  which  may  come  useful."  The  gift  was 
all  forgotten  until  a  few  days  afterward  the  missionary  re- 
turned and  said  to  the  editor,  "  After  I  left  you  I  received  a 
letter  from  a  poor  lady  who  had  been  owing  money  for  rent 
for  several  months,  which  she  could  not  possibly  pay.     That 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  87 

very  morning  the  landlord  came  and  said  that  if  she  could 
only  raise  $4  he  would  excuse  the  rest ;  but  she  did  not  have 
the  $4.  I  did  not  know  where  to  get  it.  I  happened  to  drop 
in  to  see  you;  did  not  tell  you  anything  of  the  need,  and 
asked  for  nothing ;  yet  you  gave  me  the  exact  $4  to  answer 
that  poor  woman's  prayer." 

An  infinite  'Creator  and  God  had  brought  these  circum- 
stances together  in  this  exact  way.  Neither  the  editor  nor 
missionary  had  ever  met  before.  The  missionary  did  not 
know  that  the  lady  was  in  distress.  Who  was  it  that  sent 
the  landlord  to  the  lady  and  fixed  that  amount  of  $4  in  his 
mind  ?  Who  was  it  that  sent  the  home  missionary  to  the 
office  of  a  person  he  had  never  seen  or  known  ?  Who  was 
it  that  knew  of  the  $4  waiting  in  that  pocket  and  prompted 
that  hand  to  take  it  out  and  give  it  away?  Who  was  it  that 
led  that  missionary  to  obtain  and  send  relief  just  as  she  was 
praying  for  that  special  amount  ? 

JVas  it  ehaiice  or  science  ?  No,  No.  It  ivas  tJie  ivill  of  a 
loving  God, 

"Aunt  Sally's"  Faith. 

"^Aunt  Sally,'  says  the  American  Messenger,  was  a  de- 
vout, working,  trustful  Christian.  Her  husband  was  a  crip- 
ple, almost  helpless,  an  unbeliever,  and  to  some  extent  an 
opposer  of  religion.  They  lived  alone.  The  severity  of  a 
northern  winter  Was  upon  them,  and  in  spite  of  her  best  exer- 
tions their  stock  of  fuel  was  scarcely  a  day's  supply. 

"  '  What  can  be  done  ?  '  was  the  anxious  inquiry  of  the  un- 
believing husband  as  they  were  rising  from  their  bed.  '  The 
Lord  will  provide,'  was  'Aunt  Sally's  '  cheerful  reply.  '  I 
know  you  always  say  so,  and  so  it  has  always  proved/  was 
the  answer  of  her  unbelieving  companion  ;  'but  I  see  no  way 
in  which  w^e  can  be  provided  for  now.'  'Nor  do  I,'  said 
'Aunt  Sally.'     'But  help  will  come.     God  will  not  desert  us.' 

"  That  w^inter's  morning  had  not  passed  when  their  son, 


88  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Avho  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war,  entered  the  door. 
It  had  been  long  since  they  had  heard  from  him,  and  they 
feared  he  was  not  alive.  The  sun  went  down  upon  an  abun- 
dant supply  of  fuel,  cut  in  the  forest  by  the  strong  arms  of  the 
soldier-boy,  and  drawn  to  the  door  by  means  of  his  procuring. 
The  unbelieving  husband  and  father  declared  he  would  never 
be  distrustful  again. 

God  Careth  for  You. 

*'  Nearly  forty  years  ago  I  was  given  up  by  the  doctors  for 
a  dying  man  from  consummation.  I  had  a  wife  and  five  chil- 
dren dependent  on  me,  and  for  many  months  was  unable  to 
provide  for  them  by  my  own  labors.  All  our  eai»thly  resources 
were  gone,  and  one  Sabbath  morning,  when  breakfast  was 
over,  we  were  entirely  destitute;  there  was  no  meal  in  the 
barrel  nor  oil  in  the  cruse.  In  family  worship  I  read  the 
fortieth  chapter  of  Isaiah.  I  think  up  to  that  time  I  had 
never  found  the  word  of  God  so  sweet  and  precious.  I  had 
very  near  access  in  prayer,  and  was  enabled  to  lay  my  burden 
at  the  Saviour's  feet.  I  closed  with  the  Lord's  Prayer ;  it 
seemed  made  on  purpose  for  me.  I  think  the  petition,  '  Give 
us  this  day  our  daily  bread,'  was  offered  in  faith. 

"  Within  an  hour  there  ivas  a  rap  at  the  door.  When  I 
opened  it  a  young  man  stood  there  who  had  come  three  miles 
to  bring  us  bread,  sugar,  and  money.  He  apologized  for 
coming  on  the  Sabbath  morning,  but  said  an  aunt  of  his  was 
at  their  house  the  evening  before,  and  felt  so  anxious  about 
us  she  could  not  go  away  till  he  promised  her  he  would  come 
and  bring  us  those  things." 

A  Prayer  Not  Answered. 

"Many  years  ago,  a  man  then  recently  married,  settled 
in  my  native  town.  It  was  then  quite  new,  destitute  of  re- 
ligious privileges,  and    given  to  all  manner  of  wickedness. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  89 

There  was  no  Sabbath,  and  no  sanctuary.  The  man  was 
pious.  The  thought  of  bringing  up  a  family  in  such  a  place 
distressed  him.  He  wished  to  remove  ;  and  he  used  to  retire 
daily  to  a  little  grove,  and  jpray  that  God  would  send  some 
one  to  buy  Ills  farm.  This  prayer  was  not  answered.  Better 
things  were  in  store.  A  neighbor  was  taken  sick.  He  visit- 
<^d  and  conversed  with  him.  In  the  midst  of  the  conversation, 
one  sitting  by  interrupted  him  and  said,  '  Sir,  if  what  you 
isay  is  true,  I  am  lost.'  This  gave  new  interest  to  the 
occasion.  Prayer  was  offered,  the  Spirit  was  found  out,  and 
many  were  converted.  A  prayer-meeting  was  started ;  other 
revivals  followed ;  in  due  time  a  church  was  organized,  a  house 
of  worship  built,  and  a  pastor  settled,  mainly  through  the  in- 
strumentality of  that  one  man ;  and  he  trained  up  his  family 
there,  and  lived  to  see  most  of  them  members  of  the  church  of 
Christ.  Do  not  despair,  God  will  either  ansiver  your  exact 
prayer,  or  do  something  better  for  you  ;  He  knows  what  is 
for  your  best  good." 

Trust  in  the  Lord. 

*'A  pious  woman,  who  was  reduced  to  extreme  poverty  and 
deserted  by  her  intemperate  husband,  was  taken  sick,  and  lay 
several  da3's  without  physical  power  to  provide  food  for  her 
two  little  children.  She  had  directed  them  where  to  find  the 
little  that  was  remaining  in  the  house,  and  they  had  eaten  it 
all.  Still  she  lay  sick,  with  no  means  of  obtaining  more,  as 
night  closed  upon  the  hungry  household.  The  children  soon 
forgot  their  hunger  in  sleep  ;  but  not  so  the  mother.  She  saw 
no  helj)  for  them  but  in  God,  and  she  spent  the  night-watches 
in  spreading  before  him  their  necessities.  As  the  morning 
approached  her  confidence  in  God  increased,  and  that  passage 
from  his  word  rested  with  peculiar  sweetness  upon  her  mind, 
*  Trust  in  the  Lord  and  do  good ;  so  shalt  thou  dwell  in  the 
land,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed. ^ 

^'  Morning  came.     The  starving  children  managed  by  her 


90  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

direction  to  build  them  a  little  fire,  and  almost  before  tliey 
had  commenced  telling  their  mother  of  their  hunger,  a  stran- 
ger came  in.  She  introduced  herself  as  Mrs.  J.,  saying  she 
had  known  for  some  time  that  there  was  a  new  family  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  intended  to  call  and  make  their  acquaint- 
ance, but  had  been  prevented.  During  the  last  night  she 
had  been  so  troubled  and  distiu^bed  about  it,  that  she  thought 
she  would  run  in  early,  lest  she  should  again  be  prevented;, 
and  see  if  there  was  any  way  in  which  she  could  be  of  service 
to  them.  The  mother  in  bed,  with  her  head  bound  to  mitigate 
its  pain,  revealed  the  story  of  her  sufferings,  and  the  good 
lady  soon  learned  their  entire  destitution.  They  were  im- 
mediately made  comfortable  ;  and  all  will  be  glad  to  know 
that  it  was  the  beginning  of  better  days  to  that  deserted  wife 
and  mother." 


The  Necessity  of  Asking  God's  Blessing 
Every  Day,  upon  Your  Daily  Work. 
Every  Work,  however  G-ood,  Needs 
Special,  Specific,  Daily  Prayer  for  its 
Prosperity. 

"  A  colporteur  in  the  Wabash  valley  became  quite  discour- 
aged and  was  almost  ready  to  give  up  his  work,  on  account  of 
the  smallness  of  his  sales.  On  every  side,  his  ears  were  filled 
with  complaints  of  'hard  times;'  the  wheat  crop  had  par- 
tially failed  two  years  in  succession — the  California  emigra- 
tion, and  railroad  and  plank-road  speculations  had  almost 
drained  the  country  of  money.  Frequently  he  would  be 
told,  that  if  he  could  come  after  harvest  they  would  buy  his 
books,  but  that  it  was  impossible  to  do  so  then.  His  sales 
v\^ere  daily  decreasing,  and  he  became  more  and  more  disheart- 
ened, until  one  night,  after  a  laborious  day's  effort,  he  found 
that  he  had  only  sold  ticenty-five  eents^  worth  I  He  felt  that 
he  could  not  go  on  in  this  way  any  longer.  He  was  wasting 
his  strength  and  time,  and  the  money  of  the  Society.     On 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  91 

examination  of  the  state  of  his  heart,  he  found  that  it  had^ 
gradually  and  almost  unconsciously,  grown  cold  and  departed 
far  from  Christ.  He  felt  that  he  had  not  prayed  as  he  ought 
to  have  done,  especially  he  had  neglected  each  morning,  and 
on  his  approach  to  each  dwelliiig,  to  pray  that  then  and  there 
God  would  guide  him,  and  own  and  bless  his  efforts  to  sell 
boohs.  He  saw  that  probably  here  was  at  least  a  part  of  the 
cause  why  his  sales  had  become  so  small.  Early  the  next 
morning,  before  any  of  the  family  were  up,  he  arose  and 
retired  to  the  adjoining  woods,  where  he  had  a  long  and  pre- 
cious season  of  communion  with  God.  There  he  anew  dedi« 
cated  himself  and  his  all  to  the  service  of  Christ.  There,  as 
under  the  eye  of  the  Master,  he  reviewed  the  time  he  had 
labored  as  a  colporteur,  and  prayed  for  forgiveness  for  the  past 
and  grace  for  the  future.  There  he  told  the  Saviour  all  about 
his  work,  and  asked  him  to  go  with  him  that  day,  preparing 
the  way  and  enabling  him  to  succeed  in  the  work  on  which  he 
had  entered.  The  result  was  what  might  have  been  expected. 
He  went  forth  a  new  man  ;  his  heart  was  interested  more 
deeply  in  the  truths  which  he  was  circulating — they  were 
more  precious  than  ever  to  his  own  soul,  and  he  could  recom- 
mend his  books,  as  he  failed  to  do  when  his  heart  was  cold  and 
prayerless.  That  first  day  he  sold  more  books  than  during 
the  whole  iveek  before.  In  one  instance,  he  sold  several  dol- 
lars' worth  in  a  family  where,  as  he  was  afterwards  told  by 
pious  men  in  the  neighborhood,  the  father  was  most  bitterly 
opposed  to  everything  connected  with  true  religion.  God  had 
prepared  that  man's  heart,  so  that  he  was  ready  to  purchase 
quite  a  library  for  his  family.  And  in  many  families  that 
met  him  that  day  with  the  usual  salutation,  '  no  mone}','  he 
succeeded  in  disposing  of  more  than  one  volume  by  sale.  As 
he  went  from  family  to  family,  lifting  up  his  heart  in  prayer 
to  God  for  success  in  the  particular  object  of  his  visit,  God 
heard  his  prayers  and  owned  his  efforts.  And  so,  he  assured 
me,  it  had  been  since  ;  whenever  he  had  been  prayerful — 
prayerful  for  this  particular  object,  and  then  had  diligently 


32  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

and  faithfully  done  his  best,  he  had  invariably  succeeded  in 
•doing  even  more  than  he  expected." 

Prayer  found  the  Remedy  for  tlie  Disease. 

"  A  correspondent  of  The  Illustrated  Christian  Weekly^ 
states  that  a  mother  of  her  acquaintance  had  a  child  taken 
alarmingly  ill.  She  sent  for  the  physician.  The  child  was 
in  convulsions.  The  doctor  began  at  once  vigorously  to  apply 
the  customary  remedies — cold  water  to  the  head,  warm  appli- 
cations to  the  feet,  chafing  of  the  hands  and  limbs.  All  was 
in  vain.  The  body  lost  nothing  of  its  dreadful  rigidity. 
Death  seemed  close  at  hand,  and  absolutely  inevitable.  At 
length  he  left  the  child,  and  sat  down  by  the  window,  looking 
•out.  He  seemed,  to  the  agonized  mother,  to  have  abandoned 
her  darling.  For  herself,  she  could  do  nothing  but  pray ;  and 
•even  her  praj^er  was  but  an  inarticulate  and  unvoiced  cry  for 
help.  Suddenly  the  physician  started  from  his  seat.  'Send 
and  see  if  there  be  any  jimson  tveed  in  the  yard^  he  cried. 
His  order  was  obeyed  ;  the  poisonous  weed  was  found.  The 
remedies  were  instantly  changed.  Enough  of  the  seeds  of 
this  deadly  weed  were  brought  away  by  the  medicine  to  have 
killed  a  man.  The  physician  subsequently  said  that  he 
thought  that  in  that  five  minutes  every  kindred  case  he  had 
€ver  known  in  a  quarter  century's  practice  passed  before  his 
mind.  Among  them  was  the  one  case  which  suggested  the 
real,  but  before  hidden,  cause  of  the  protracted  and  dreadful 
convulsions.     And  the  child  was  saved. 

'•'  Now,  is  there  anything  inconsistent  or  unphilosophical  in 
the  belief  that,  at  that  critical  moment,  a  loving  God,  answer- 
ing the  mother's  helpless  cry,  flashed  on  the  mind  of  the  phy- 
sician the  thought  that  saved  the  child  ?  Is  it  any  objection 
to  that  faith  to  say,  the  age  of  miracles  is  past?  If  the 
mother  may  call  in  a  second  physician,  to  suggest  the  cause 
and  the  cure,  may  she  not  call  on  God  ?  What  the  doctor 
<can  do  for  a  fellow-practitioner,  cannot  the  Great  Physician 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  9S 

do  ?  Though  the  doctor  had  often  tried  and  thought,  yet  it 
was  not  till  the  last  prayer  and  call  on  God,  brought  the  rem- 
edy to  his  mind/' 


Prayer  Instantaneously  Answered  for 
Conversion. 

On  the  evening  of  the  fifty-first  daily  prayer-meeting  in 
Augusta,  Ga.,  a  large  gathering  assembled  in  the  St.  John's 
M.  E.  Church,  at  which  Dr.  Irvine  presided,  and  some  very 
touching  communications  were  read.  One  was  from  a  wid- 
owed mother,  asking  thanksgiving  for  the  salvation  of  her 
youngest  daughter,  recently  from  a  boarding-school  in  New 
York  city,  where  she  had  finished  her  education.  Some 
weeks  ago  she  had  sought  the  prayers  of  the  daily  prayer- 
meeting  for  the  conversion  of  her  precious  child,  who  was 
spending  a  few  weeks  with  some  friends  seventy  miles  from 
Augusta.  Prayers  were  offered  accordingly,  but  without  in- 
timation of  any  change.  The  loving  mother  sent  in  a  second 
application  or  prayer  to  Dr.  Irvine,  to  be  read  on  a  recent 
Monday  morning ;  all  this  without  her  daughter's  knowledge. 
On  Tuesday  the  mother  received  a  letter  from  her  daughter, 
dated  two  o'clock  on  Sabbath,  informing  her  that  on  that  day,. 
and  at  that  hour,  she  had  resolved  to  give  her  heart  to  Christ, 
intending  to  ask  admission  to  the  church  at  the  next  com- 
munion. Strange  to  say,  at  the  very  moment  when  the  faith- 
ful mother  was  writing  her  application  for  prayers  for  that 
child,  she  was  announcing  her  own  conversion. 

What  a  verification  of  the  blessed  promise  :  "Before  they 
call  I  will  answer ;  and  while  they  are  yet  speaking  I  will 
hear." 

Help  for  the  Shipwrecked. 

Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Williams,  a  straight-forward  and  ex- 
cellent man,  was  in  command  of  a  ship  crossing  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.     His  course  brought  him  in  sight  of  the  Island  ol 


^94  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Ascension,  at  that  time  uninhabited,  and  never  visited  hy  any 
ship,  except  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  turtles,  which  abound 
on  the  coast.  The  island  was  barely  descried  on  the  horizon, 
and  was  not  to  be  noticed  at  all ;  but  as  Sir  Thomas  looked  at 
it,  he  was  seized  hy  an  unaccountable  desire  to  steer  toward  it. 

He  felt  how  strange  such  a  wish  would  appear  to  his  crew, 
and  tried  to  disregard  it ;  but  in  vain.  His  desire  became 
more  and  more  urgent  and  distres'sing,  and  foreseeing  that  it 
would  soon  be  more  difficult  to  gratify  it,  he  told  his  lieuten- 
ant to  prepare  to  ^' 2mt  about  shijy  "  and  steer  for  Ascension. 
The  officer  to  wJiom  he  spoke  ventured  to  respectfully  represent 
that  changing  their  course  ivould  greatly  delay  them — that 
just  at  that  moment  the  men  were  going  to  their  dinner — that 
at  least  some  delay  might  be  allowed. 

But  these  arguments  seemed  to  increase  Captain  Williams' 
anxiety,  and  the  ship  was  steered  toward  the  uninteresting 
little  island.  All  eyes  and  spy-glasses  were  now  fixed  upon 
it,  and  soon  something  was  perceived  on  the  shore.  "  It  is 
white — it  is  a  flag — it  must  be  a  signal ! "  And  when  they 
neared  the  shore,  it  was  ascertained  that  sixteen  men,  wrecked 
on  the  coast  many  days  before,  and  suffering  the  extremity  of 
hunger,  had  set  up  a  signal,  though  almost  without  hope  of 
relief.  What  made  the  captain  steer  his  ship  in  the  very 
opposite  direction  to  what  he  and  his  crew  wanted  to  go,  but 
the  superhuman  Sptirit  of  God. 

Samnel  Harris's  Lawsuit,  and  How  the 
Lord  Settled  it  for  Him. 

"  When  Samuel  Harris,  of  Virginia,  began  to  preach,  his 
soul  was  so  absorbed  in  the  work,  that  he  neglected  to  attend 
to  the  duties  of  this  life.  Finding,  upon  a  time,  that  it  was 
absolutely  necessary  that  he  should  provide  more  grain  for 
his  family  than  he  had  raised  upon  his  own  farm,  he  called 
upon  a  man  who  owed  him  a  debt,  and  told  him  he  would  be 
glad  to  receive  the  money. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYES.  95 

"  The  man  replied  :  '  I  have  no  money  by  me,  and  cannot 
oblige  you/ 

"  Harris  said  :  '  I  want  the  money  to  purchase  wheat  for 
my  family ;  and  as  you  have  raised  a  good  crop  of  wheat,  I 
will  take  that  of  you  instead  of  money,  at  a  current  price.' 

"  The  man  answered:  'I  have  other  uses  for  my  wheat, 
and  cannot  let  you  have  it.' 

"  '  How  then,'  said  Harris,  '  do  you  intend  to  pay  me  ? ' 

"  '  I  never  intend  to  pay  you  until  you  sue  me,'  replied  the 
debtor,  '  and  therefore  you  may  begin  your  suit  as  soon  as 
you  please.' 

"  Mr.  Harris  left  him,  meditating.  Said  he  to  himself, 
■^  What  shall  I  do  ?  Must  I  leave  preaching,  and  attend  to  a 
vexatious  lawsuit  ?  Perhaps  a  thousand  souls  may  perish  in 
the  meantime,  for  want  of  hearing  of  Jesus  !  No ;  I  will  not. 
Well,  what  will  you  do  for  yourself  ?  Why,  this  will  I  do; 
I  will  sue  him  at  the  Court  of  Heaven.'  Having  resolved 
what  he  would  do,  he  turned  aside  into  a  wood,  and  on  his 
knees  laid  the  matter  before  the  Lord.  Mr.  Harris  felt  such 
an  evidence  of  Divine  favor, — he  felt,  to  use  his  own  express- 
ive language,  that  Jesus  would  become  Dondsman  for  the 
man,  and  see  that  he  was  paid  if  he  went  on  preaching.  Mr. 
Harris  arose  from  prayer,  resolved  to  hold  the  man  no  longer 
a  debtor,  since  Jesus  had  assumed  the  payment.  He  there- 
fore wrote  a  receipt  in  full  of  all  accounts  against  the  man, 
and  dating  it  in  the  woods,  where  he  had  prayed,  signed  it 
with  his  own  name.  Going  the  next  day  by  the  man's  house, 
on  his  way  to  meeting,  he  gave  the  receipt  to  a  servant, 
directing  him  to  give  it  to  his  master.  On  his  return  from 
meeting,  the  man  hailed  him,  and  demanded  what  he  meant 
by  the  receipt  he  had  sent  him  in  the  morning. 

"  Mr.  Harris  replied  :  '  I  mean  just  as  I  wrote.' 

"  ^But  you  know,  sir,'  answered  the  debtor,  ^I  have  never 
paid  \^«u.' 

"  '  True,'  said  Mr.  Harris,  '  and  T  know  you  said  that  you 
never  would  unless  I  sued  you.     But,  sir,  I  sued  you  at  the 


96  ANSWEKS    TO    PRAYER. 

Court  of  Heaven,  and  Jesus  entered  bail  for  you,  and  has 
agreed  to  pay  me ;  I  have  therefore  given  you  a  discharge  ! ' 

"  '  But  I  insist  upon  it/  said  the  man  ;  '  matters  shall  not 
be  left  so.' 

^' '  I  am  well  satisfied,'  answered  Harris.  '  Jesus  will  not 
fail  me.  I  leave  you  to  settle  the  account  with  him  at  anoth- 
er day.     Farewell.' 

"  This  operated  so  effectually  on  the  man's  conscience,  that 
in  a  few  days  he  came  and  paid  the  deht^ 

A  Wagon-Load  of  Food. 

"A  young  minister  and  his  wife  were  sent  on  to  their  first 
charge  in  Vermont  about  the  year  1846.  On  the  circuit 
were  few  members,  and  most  of  these  were  in  poor  circum- 
stances. After  a  few  months  the  minister  and  his  wife  found 
themselves  getting  short  of  provisions.  Finally  their  last 
food  had  been  cooked,  and  where  to  look  for  a  new  supply 
was  a  question  which  demanded  immediate  attention. 

"  The  morning  meal  was  eaten,  not  without  anxious  feel- 
ings  ;  but  this  young  servant  of  the  Most  High  had  laid  his 
all  upon  the  altar,  and  his  wife  also  possessed  much  of  the 
spirit  of  self-sacrifice  ;  and  they  could  not  think  the  Saviour 
who  had  said  to  those  he  had  called  and  sent  out  to  preach  in 
his  name  :  '  Lo  !  I  am  with  you  alway,'  would  desert  them 
among  strangers.  After  uniting  in  family  prayer  he  sought 
a  sanctuary  in  an  old  barn,  and  there  committed  their  case  to 
God  ; — his  wife  met  her  Savior  in  her  closet  and  poured  out 
her  heart  before  him  there. 

^^That  morning  a  young  married  farmer,  a  mile  or  two 
away,  was  going  with  a  number  of  hands  to  his  mowing-field. 
But  as  he  afterward  told  the  minister,  he  was  obliged  to  stop 
short.  He  told  his  hired  help  to  go  on,  but  he  must  go  back 
— he  must  go  and  carry  provisions  to  the  minister's  house. 
He  returned  to  the  house,  and  telling  his  wife  how  he  felt, 
asked  her  help  in  putting  up  the  things  he  must  carry.     He 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  £/ 

harnessed  his  horse  into  his  wagon  ;  put  up  a  bushel  of  pota- 
toes, meat,  flour,  sugar,  butter,  etc.  He  was  not  a  professor 
of  religion.  The  minister's  wife  told  me  there  was  a  good 
wagon-load.  He  drove  it  to  the  house,  and  found  that  his 
gifts  were  most  thankfully  received.  This  account  was  re- 
ceived from  the  minister  himself, — David  P. — ,  who  died  in 
Chelsea,  Mass.,  in  Dec.  1875, — and  subsequently  from  his 
wife, — and  communicated  to  a  correspondent  of  ^The  Cliric- 
tian.' " 

"  God's  Raven." 

"A  lady  who  lived  on  the  north  side  of  London,  set  onO 
one  day  to  see  a  poor  sick  friend,  living  in  Drury  Lane,  and 
took  with  her  a  basket  provided  with  tea,  butter,  and  food. 
The  day  was  fine  and  clear  when  she  started  ;  but  as  sh3 
drew  near  Islington  a  thick  fog  came  on,  and  somewha\} 
frightened  her,  as  she  was  deaf,  and  feared  it  might  be 
dangerous  in  the  streets  if  she  could  not  see.  Thicker  and 
darker  the  fog  became  ;  they  lighted  the  lamps,  and  the  om^ 
nibus  went  at  a  walking  pace.  She  might  have  got  into  an- 
other omnibus  and  returned  ;  but  a  strong  feeling  which  she 
could  not  explain  made  her  go  on.  When  they  reached  tho 
Strand  they  could  see  nothing.  At  last  the  omnibus  stopped, 
and  the  conductor  guided  her  to  the  foot-path.  As  she  was 
groping  her  way  along,  the  fog  cleared  up,  just  at  the  en- 
trance to  Drury  Lane,  and  even  the  blue  sky  was  seen.  Sho 
now  easily  found  the  narrow  court,  rang  the  number  5  bellp 
and  climbed  to  the  fifth  story.  She  knocked  at  the  door,  and 
a  little  girl  opened  it. 

"  '  How  is  grandmother  ?  ' 

" '  Come  in,    Mrs.    A ,'    answered    the    grandmother, 

*  How  did  you  get  here  ?  We  have  been  in  thick  darkness 
all  day.' 

"  The  room  was  exceedingly  neat,  and  the  kettle  stood 
boiling  on  a  small  clear  fire.  Everything  was  in  perfect 
order ;  on  the  table  stood  a  little  tea-tray  ready  for  use.  Trio 
7 


98  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

sick  woman  was  in  bed,  and  her  daughter  sat  working  in  a 
corner  of  the  room. 

" '  I  see  you  are  ready  for  tea/  said  the  lady ;  '  I  have 
brought  something  more  to  place  upon  the  table.' 

"  With  clasped  hands  the  woman  breathed  a  few  words  of 

thanksgiving  first,  and  then  said,  '  0,  Mrs.  A ,  you  are 

indeed  God's  raven,  sent  by  him  to  bring  us  food  to-day,  for 
we  have  not  tasted  any  yet.  I  felt  sure  he  would  care 
for  us.' 

^' '  But  you  have  the  kettle  ready  for  tea  ?  ' 

"  '  Yes,  ma'am,'  said  the  daughter ;  '  mother  would  have  me 
set  it  on  the  fire  ;  and  when  I  said,  '  What  is  the  use  of  doing 
so  ?  you  know  we  have  nothing  in  the  house,'  she  still  would 
have  it,  and  said,  '  My  child,  God  will  provide.  Thirty  years 
he  has  already  provided  for  me,  through  all  my  pain  and 
helplessness,  and  he  will  not  leave  me  to  starve  at  last :  he  will 
send  us  help,  though  we  do  not  yet  see  how.'  In  this  expect- 
ation mother  has  been  waiting  all  day,  quite  sure  that  some 
one  would  come  and  supply  our  need.  But  we  did  not  think 
of  the  possibility  of  your  coming  from  such  a  distance  on 
such  a  day.     Indeed,  it  must  be  God  who  sent  you  to  us.' 

"  '  The  righteous  cry,  and  the  Lord  heareth,  and  delivereth 
them  out  of  all  their  troubles.'  " 

How  the  Stolen  Sleigh  was  Returned  by 
a  Thief. 

The  widow  of  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  sends  to  ''The 
Christian  "  the  follov»^ing  instance  illustrating  God's  faithful- 
ness in  hearing  and  answering  prayer : 

"  About  the  year  1829,  my  husband,  who  died  January  2d,- 
1854,  lent  his  sleigh  and  harness  to  a  man  calling  himself 
John  Cotton,  to  go  some  twenty  miles  and  be  gone  three  days. 
Cotton  was  quite  a  stranger  among  us,  having  been  in  our 
place  but  six  weeks.  During  that  time  he  had  boarded  with 
my  husband's  brother,  working  for  him  a  part  of  the  time, 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  99 

and  the  rest  of  the  time  selling  wooden  clocks,  of  which  he 
had  bought  a  number.  Three  days  passed,  but  he  did  not 
return.  The  fourth  went  by,  and  we  began  to  think  he  had 
absconded.  On  inquiry,  Mr.  P.  found  that  the  clocks  had 
been  purchased  on  credit,  and  all  sold  for  watches  or  money ; 
that  Cotton  owed  sixty  dollars  toward  his  horse,  and  had  bor- 
rowed (i  the  brother  with  whom  he  boarded,  horse-blanket, 
whip,  and  mittens.  Now  it  seemed  sure  that  he  was  a  rogue, 
but  what  could  be  done  ?  Pursuit  was  useless  after  such  a 
lapse  of  time. 

"  My  husband  felt  his  loss  severely,  for  we  had  little  prop- 
erty then,  and  what  we  had  was  the  product  of  hard  labor. 
But  he  was  a  Christian,  and,  I  believe,  always  made  his  busi- 
ness a  subject  of  prayer. 

'^  About  three  weeks  passed  away.  One  evening,  having 
been  out  longer  than  usual,  he  came  in,  and,  with  his  charac- 
teristic calmness,  said :  '  I  shall  not  worry  any  more  about 
my  sleigh  and  harness,  I  think  I  shall  get  them  again.'  '  Why 
do  you  think  so  ?  '  His  answer  was  :  '  I  have  been  praying 
to  God  to  arrest  Cotton's  conscience,  so  that  he  will  be  obliged 
to  leave  theim  where  I  can  get  them,  and  I  believe  he  will 
do  it.' 

*'  From  this  time,  which  was  Wednesday  evening,  he  seemed 
at  rest  on  the  subject.  The  next  Tuesday  morning,  as  he 
stepped  into  the  post-office,  a  letter  was  handed  him  from  Lit- 
tleton, N.  H.  It  was  written  by  the  keeper  of  a  public  house, 
and  read  thus : 

"^Jfr.  P. — Sir^  Mr,  John  Cotton  has  left  your  sleigh  and 
harness  here,  and  you  can  have  them  by  calling  for  them. 
Yours,  etc.,  J — n  N n.' 

"He  returned  home  with  the  letter,  and  started  for  L ; 


went  there  the  same  day,  some  forty  miles  ;  found  sleigh  and 
harness  safe,  with  no  encumbrance.  The  landlord  informed 
him  that,  a  few  nights  before,  at  twelve  o'clock,  a  man  calling 
himself  John  Cotton  came  to  his  house,  calling  for  horse-bait- 


100  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

ing  and  supper ;  would  not  stay  till  morning,  but  wished  to 
leave  the  sleigh  and  harness  for  Mr.  S. —  P. —  of  Marshfield, 
Vt.  He  said  he  could  not  write  himself ;  and  requested  the 
landlord  to  write  for  him,  saying  he  took  them  on  a  poor  debt 
for  Mr.  P.,  in  one  of  the  towns  below  !  He  started  off  at  two 
o'clock  at  night,  on  horseback,  with  an  old  pair  of  saddle-bags- 
and  a  horse  blanket,  on  a  saddle  with  one  stirrup  and  no  crup 
per,  on  one  of  the  coldest  nights  of  that  or  any  other  yenw 
He  took  the  road  leading  through  the  Notch  in  the  moun- 
tains, left  nothing  for  either  of  those  he  owed,  and  we  have 
never  since  heard  from  him." 


''None  of  the  Lord's  Children  Left  Deso- 
late." 

"  The  Christian  Era  tells  of  a  Dutch  preacher  who  held  a 
meeting  one  evening  in  a  strange  cit}-.  While  he  was  preach- 
ing, and  enforcing  upon  the  hearts  of  his  hearers  the  doctrine 
of  the  Cross,  a  police  officer  came  into  the  room  and  forbade 
Iiim  to  go  on.  He  even  commanded  him  to  leave  the  city. 
As  he  was  a  stranger  in  the  place,  and  the  night  was  dark,  he 
wandered  around  the  city  gates.  He  was  not,  however,  with- 
out consolation ;  for  he  remembered  Him  who  had  said,  ^  Lo, 
I  ani  with  you  always.  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  thou  art  with 
me  ;  thy  rod  and  thy  staff,  they  comfort  me.' 

''  He  had  long  been  in  the  school  of  Christ,  and  had  learned 
to  watch  for  the  slightest  intimations  of  His  will.  While  he 
was  thus  wandering  around,  suddenly  he  saw  a  light  in  the 
distance.  ^ See,' he  said  to  himself,  ^perhaps  the  Lord  has 
provided  me  a  shelter  there,'  and,  in  the  simplicity  of  faith, 
lie  directed  his  steps  thither.  On  arriving,  he  heard  a  voice 
in  the  house;  and,  as  he  drew  nearer,  he  discovered  that  a 
man  was  praying.  Joyful,  he  hoped  that  he  had  found  here 
the  home  of  a  brother.  He  stood  still  for  a  moment,  and 
heard  these  words,  poured  forth  from  an  earnest  heart :  'Lord 
Jesus,  one  of  thy  persecuted  servants  may,  perhaps,  be  wan- 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  101 

clering,  at  this  moment,  in  a  strange  place  of  which  he  knows 
nothing.  0,  may  he  find  my  home,  that  he  may  receive  here 
food  and  lodging.' 

''  The  preacher,  having  heard  these  words,  glided  into  the 
lioiise,  as  soon  as  the  s^^eaker  said,  'Amen.'  Both  fell  on 
their  knees,  and  together  thanked  the  Lord,  who  is  a  hearer 
of  prayer,  and  who  never  leaves  nor  forsakes  His  servants." 

The  Ne"w  Coat  that  Fitted  Exactly. 

"  A  few  years  since,  a  young  preacher  in  the  State  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, who  was  laboring  in  a  field  which  yielded  no  great 
pecuniary  returns,  had  laid  aside  the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars 
from  his  scanty  income,  with  which  to  purchase  himself  a 
■coat,  of  which  he  stood  in  need.  Before  he  had  time  to 
obtain  it,  there  was  presented  to  him  a  certain  charitable 
object  which  seemed  to  demand  a  portion  of  his  little  store. 
After  some  consideration  as  to  whether  it  was  his  duty  to  give 
as  much  as  the  ten  dollars,  which  first  presented  itself  to  his 
mind  as  the  proper  sum  to  bestow,  he  concluded  to  follow  his 
convictions,  and  thus  assist  one  who  was  more  needy  than 
himself,  and  trust  in  the  Lord  to  provide  the  coat. 

''Within  two  or  three  days  afterwards,  he  was  visiting  at 
the  house  of  his  mother,  in  another  town,  and  she,  as  mothers 
will,  noticed  that  his  coat  had  arrived  at  that  condition  which 
usually  affords  the  preacher  of  the  Gospel  evidence  that  he  is 
shortly  to  have  a  new  one,  and  she  made  some  remarks  about 
its  worn  appearance,  saying,  '  It  seems  to  me  you  need  a 
new  coat.'  '  I  know  it,'  he  replied,  'and  I  shall  get  me  one 
as  soon  as  I  get  the  means.'  She  said,  'There  is  a  coat  up 
stairs  which  your  brother  had  made  for  him  not  over  two 
weeks  ago,  which  he  never  has  worn  but  once,  because  it  was 
made  too  smalls  and  he  said  that  you  might  have  it,  if  you 
wanted  it.^ 

'•  The  coat  was  accordingly  brought  down  and  tried  on,  and 
it  fitted  exactly.     The  young  man  gladly  accepted  the  coat, 


102  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

wondering  a  little  at  the  wisdom  of  the  Lord  in  clothing  him 
at  the  expense  of  his  brother,  who  was  not  particularly  inter- 
ested in  the  Lord's  work,  and  who  was  so  much  larger  than  he 
was,  that  nothing  short  of  the  wisdom  of  Providence  could 
have  made  a  coat  that  was  measured  for  one  of  them  ever  to 
fit  the  other. " 

This  was  the  return  that  God  made  to  him  for  his  sacrifice 
to  the  Lord.     Never'  withhold  from  the  Lord. 

Praying  to  Stop  the  'Wind  and  the  Sail- 
ing of  a  Vessel. 

The  late  aged  and  venerable  Kev.  Dr.  Cleaveland,  of  Bos- 
ton, relates  the  following  incident : 

'^  In  a  revival  of  religion  in  the  church  of  which  he  was 
pastor,  he  was  visited  one  morning  by  a  member  of  his 
church,  a  widow,  whose  only  son  was  a  sailor.  With  a  voice 
trembling  with  emotion,  she  said,  '  Doctor  Cleaveland,  I  have 
called  to  entreat  you  to  join  me  in  praying  that  the  wind 
may  change.^  He  looked  at  her  in  silent  amazement.  '  Yes/ 
she  exclaimed,  earnestly,  ^  my  son  has  gone  on  board  his  ves- 
sel ;  they  sail  to-night,  unless  the  wind  changes.'  ^Well, 
madam,'  replied  the  doctor,  '  I  will  pray  that  your  son  may 
be  converted  on  this  voyage  ;  but  to  pray  that  God  would 
alter  the  laws  of  His  universe  on  his  account,  I  fear  is  pre- 
sumptous.'  ^Doctor,'  she  replied,  ^my  heart  tells  me  differ- 
ently. God's  Spirit  is  here.  Souls  are  being  converted  here. 
You  have  a  meeting  this  evening,  and,  if  the  wind  would 
change,  John  would  stay  and  go  to  it;  and,  I  believe,  if  he 
went  he  would  be  converted.  Now,  if  you  cannot  join  me,  I 
must  pray  alone,  for  he  must  stay.'  '  I  will  pray  for  his  con- 
version,' said  the  doctor. 

*'  On  his  way  to  the  meeting,  he  glanced  at  the  weather- 
vane,  and,  to  his  surprise,  the  wind  had  changed,  and  it  was 
blowing  landward.  On  entering  his  crowded  vestry,  he  soon 
observed  John,  sitting  upon  the  front  seat.     The  young  man 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  103 

seemed  to  drink  in  every  word,  rose  to  be  prayed  for,  and 
attended  the  inquiry  meeting.  When  he  sailed  from  port, 
the  mother's  prayers  had  been  answered;  he  went  a  Chris- 
tian. The  pastor  had  learned  a  lesson  he  never  forgot.  The 
Lord  had  said,  '  0,  woman,  great  is  thy  faith;  be  it  unto  thee, 
even  as  thou  wilt.'  God  answered  that  prayer  because  the 
mother  was  seeking  to  advance  His  own  kingdom.  God 
always  hears  a  prayer  that  will  in  any  way  bring  a  soul  to 
the  Lord." 

Insanity  Cured  and  Snicide  Prevented. 

^^  Augusta  Moore,  writes  The  Christian^  of  a  young  lady 
called  home  by  the  illness  of  her  widowed  mother,  who  died 
before  she  could  reach  her.  This  alone  was  a  terrible  shock 
to  the  delicate  daughter,  who,  having  been  reared  in  luxury, 
was  ill-fitted  for  firm  endurance  of  calamity.  But,  when  it 
became  known  that  a  relative,  in  whom  she  had  placed  confi- 
dence, had  managed,  in  ways  that  need  not  be  explained,  to 
defraud  her  out  of  her  inheritance,  her  mind  gave  way  and 
she  became  insane. 

"For  years,  her  distressed  husband  strove  in  every  way  to 
restore  her  reason,  but  she  seemed  rather  to  become  worse, 
and  showed  signs  of  intentions  to  commit  suicide  ;  and  her 
family  and  friends  lived  in  a  wretched  state  of  apprehension. 
In  spite  of  the  most  faithful  watchfulness,  she  twice  succeeded 
in  securing  the  means  for  self-destruction,  but  something  pre- 
vented her  from  accomplishing  her  design.  At  last,  it  occurred 
to  a  friend  to  present  this  woman's  case  in  the  prayer-meet- 
ing, to  the  Lord,  and  earnest  prayer  was  offered  for  her  res- 
toration. 

''  No  immediate  result  appeared  ;  but  the  friends  persevered. 
During  the  Winter,  a  revival  of  religion  occurred  in  the  town 
where  she  dwelt,  and,  with  much  difficulty,  the  insane  woman, 
who  declared  that  she  was  utterl}^  and  finally  forsaken  by  God, 
was  prevailed  upon   to  attend   the  meetings.      They  began 


104  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

immediately  to  have  a  good  effect  upon  her.  She  could  sleep 
better;  she  grew  more  cheerful,  and,  in  a  short  time,  her  rea- 
son returned  to  her.  A  happier,  or  more  grateful  woman  than 
she  now  is,  no  mortal  eyes  ever  beheld,  and  she  affords  one 
more  instance  of  the  Lord's  willingness  to  hear  and  answer 
fervent  prayer.'^ 

Answers  to  Prayer. 

Dr.  Newman  Hall,  minister  of  Surrey  Chapel,  London, 
gives  the  following  instances  of  answers  to  prayer  from  his 
own  experience  : 

"The  writer's  brother,  when  superintendent  of  a  Sunday 
School,  felt  a  strong  impulse,  one  Saturday  evening,  to  calt 
on  a  member  of  his  Bible-class,  v/hom  he  had  never  visited 
before,  and  to  inquire  if  he  was  in  any  need.  He  found  him 
very  ill.  Though  the  mother  and  sister  seemed  in  comfort- 
able circumstances,  he  felt  constrained  to  inquire  if  he  could 
aid  them  in  any  way.  They  burst  into  tears,  and  said  that 
the  young  man  had  been  asking  for  food  which  they  had  no 
power  to  supply,  and  that,  on  Monday,  some  of  their  goods 
were  to  be  taken  in  default  of  the  payment  of  rates.  When 
he  knocked  at  the  door  they  were  on  their  knees  in  prayer  for 
help  to  he  sent  them.  By  the  aid  of  a  few  friends,  the  diffi- 
culty was  at  once  met — but  the  timely  succor  was  felt  to  be 
the  divine  response  to  prayer. 

"  With  that  brother,  the  writer  was  once  climbing  the  Cima 
if  Jazzi,  one  of  the  mountains  in  the  chain  of  Monte  Rosa. 
When  nearly  at  the  top,  they  entered  a  dense  fog.  Presently, 
the  guides  faced  right  about,  and  grounded  their  axes  on  the 
frozen  snow-slope.  The  brother — seeing  the  slope  still  beyond, 
and  not  knowing  it  was  merely  the  cornice,  overhanging  a 
precipice  of  several  thousand  feet  —  rushed  onward.  The 
writer  will  never  forget  their  cry  of  agonized  warning.  His 
brother  stood  a  moment  on  the  very  summit,  and  then,  the 
snow  yielding,  began  to  fall  through.     One  of  the  guides,  at 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  105 

great  risk,  rushed  after  him  and  seized  him  by  the  coat.  This 
tore  away,  leaving  only  three  inches  of  cloth,  by  which  he  was 
dragged  back.  It  seemed  impossible  to  be  nearer  death,  and 
yet  escape.  On  his  return  home,  an  invalid  member  of  his 
congregation  told  him  that  she  had  been  much  in  prayer  for 
his  safety,  and  mentioned  a  special  time  when  she  particu- 
larly was  earnest,  as  if  imploring  deliverance  from  some  great 
peril.  The  times  corresponded  !  Was  not  that  prayer  instru- 
mental in  preserving  that  life  ?  " 

Bishop  Simpson's  Recovery. 

Bishop  Bowman  gives  the  following  instance  from  his  own 
experience  : 

*'  In  the  Fall  of  1858,  whilst  visiting  Indiana,  I  was  at  an 
annual  conference  where  Bishop  Janes  presided.  We  received 
a  telegram  that  Bishop  Simpson  was  dying.  Said  Bishop 
Janes,  'Let  us  spend  a  few  moments  in  earnest  prayer  for  the 
recovery  of  Bishop  Simpson.'  We  kneeled  to  pra3\  William 
Taylor,  the  great  California  street  preacher,  was  called  to  pray, 
and  such  a  prayer  I  neVer  heard  since.  The  impression  seized 
npon  me  irresistibl}^,  BisJioj)  Sivfpson  will  not  die.  I  rose  from 
my  knees  perfectly  quiet.  Said  I,  'Bishop  Simpson  will  not 
die.'  '  Why  do  you  think  so?  '  Because  I  have  had  an  irre- 
sistible impression  made  upon  my  mind  during  this  prayer.' 
Another  said,  '7  have  the  same  impression.^  We  passed  it 
along  from  bench  to  bench,  until  we  found  that  a  very  large 
proportion  of  the  conference  had  the  same  impression.  I 
made  a  minute  of  the  time  of  day,  and  when  I  next  saw 
Simpson,  he  was  attending  to  his  daily  labor.  I  inquired  of 
the  Bishop,  '  How  did  you  recover  from  your  sickness  ? ' 
He  replied,  ^  I  cannot  telV  'What  did  your  phj^sician  say?' 
^He  said  it  ivas  a  miracle.''  I  then  said  to  the  Bishop,  '  Give 
me  the  time  and  circumstances  under  which  the  change 
occurred.'  He  fixed  upon  the  day,  and  the  very  hour,  mak- 
ing allowance  for  the  distance — a  thousand  miles  away — that 


106  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

the  preachers  were  engaged  in  prayer  at  this  conference.  The 
physician  left  his  room  and  said  to  his  wife,  ^It  is  useless  to 
do  anything  further ;  the  Bishop  must  die.'  In  about  an 
hour,  he  returned  and  started  back,  inquiring,  '  What  have 
you  do?ie?'  'Nothiny,'  was  the  reply.  'He  is  recovering 
rapidly,'  said  the  physician;  ^a  change  has  occurred  in  the 
disease  icithin  the  last  hour  beyond  anything  I  have  ever 
seen  ;  the  crisis  is  past,  arid  the  Bishop  will  recover.''  And 
he  did." 

The  doctor  was  puzzled ;  it  was  beyond  all  the  course  and 
probabilities  of  nature  and  the  laws  of  science.  What  was 
it  that  made  those  ministers  so  sure — what  was  it  that  made 
thq  patient  recover,  at  the  exact  hour  that  they  prayed  ? 
There  is  only  one  answer,  '^The  ever  living  Power  of  a  Su- 
perior Spirit  which  rules  the  worldJ^ 

The  Seven  Letters. 

The  following  incident  is  given  by  "TAe  Presbyterian j^' 
on  the  authority  of  a  private  letter  from  Paris : 

"  At  a  Bible  reunion,  held  at  the  house  of  an  English  Con- 
gregationalist  minister,  where  several  colporteurs,  teachers  and 
others  meet  for  devotional  reading  and  conversation,  a  brief 
anecdote  was  related  by  a  clergyman  living  in  La  Force,  who 
established  there  an  institution  for  epileptics,  where  he  has 
now  three  hundred,  supported  entirely  on  the  principle  of 
faith,  like  Muller's  orphanage. 

"  At  one  time,  he  found  himself  in  debt  to  the  amount  of 
five  hundred  pounds.  After  a  sleepless,  anxious  night,  he 
found,  on  his  table,  seven  letters.  Opening  five,  he  found 
them  to  be  all  applications,  some  of  them  most  painful  in 
their  details,  for  the  admission  of  new  inmates.  '  His  excited 
mind  could  not  bear  it.  Without  opening  the  other  two  let- 
ters he  threw  them  to  his  wife.  'Put  them  into  the  fire,'  he 
said,  and  turned  to  seek  relief  in  the  open  air.  'John,'  said 
a  sweet  voice,  '  this  won't  do.     Come  back.'     So  he  did,  tak- 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  lOT 

ing  up  the  sixth  letter,  which  proved  to  he  from  a  stranger, 
enclosing  a  check  for  three  hundred  pounds.  The  other 
envelope  gave  him  just  what  was  needed,  just  that  and  no 
more.  He  thanked  God,  and  took  courage.  Will  he  ever 
again  hear  the  sweet,  sad  voice,  *  Wherefore  didst  thou 
doubt?'" 

The  Lord  Did  Not  Forget  the  Potatoes. 

"A  correspondent  cf  Arthur^ s  Magazine  tells  of  a  poor 
woman  who  had  been  washing  for  us,  who  said:  'Seems  as 
if  the  Lord  took  very  direct  ways  to  reach  people's  feelinga 
sometimes.  Now,  I  was  astonished  once  in  my  life.  I  lived 
away  out  West,  on  the  prairie,  I  and  my  four  children,  and 
I  couldn  t  get  much  work  to  do,  and  our  little  stock  of  provis- 
ions kept  getting  lower  and  lower.  One  night,  we  sat  hover^ 
ing  over  our  fire,  and  I  was  gloomy  enough.  There  was  about 
a  pint  of  corn-meal  in  the  house,  and  that  was  all.  I  said, 
"'  Well,  children,  may  be  the  Lord  will  provide  something.'  'i 
do  hope  it  will  be  a  good  mess  of  potatoes,''  said  cheery  little 
Nell*,  *  seems  to  me  I  never  was  so  hungry  for  Haters  before.^ 
After  they  were  all  asleep,  I  lay  there  tossing  over  my  hard 
bed,  and  wondering  what  I  would  do  next.  All  at  once,  the 
sweetest  peace  and  rest  came  over  me,  and  I  sank  into  such  a 
good  sleep.  Next  morning,  I  was  planning  that  I  would  make 
the  tinfull  of  meal  into  mush,  and  fry  it  in  a  greasy  frying- 
pan,  in  which  our  last  meat  had  been  fried.  As  I  opened  the 
door  to  go  down  to  the  brook  to  wash,  I  saw  something  new. 
There,  on  the  bench,  beside  the  door,  stood  two  icodden  pails 
and  a  sack.  One  pail  was  full  of  meat,  the  other  full  of  pota- 
toes, and  the  sack  filled  with  flour.  I  brought  my  hands 
together  in  my  joj^,  and  just  hurrahed  for  the  children  to 
come.  Little  dears!  They  didn't  think  of  trousers  and 
frocks  then,  but  came  out  all  of  a  flutter,  like  a  flock  of 
quails.  Their  joy  was  supreme.  They  knew  the  Lord  had 
sent  some  of  his  angels  with  the  sack  and  pails.     Oh,  it  wa* 


108  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

such  a  precious  gift !  I  ivashed  the  emjHi/  pails,  mid  put  the 
empty  sack  in  one  of  them,  and,  at  night,  I  stood  them  on  the 
hench  where  I  had  found  them,  and,  the  next  morning,  they 
were  gone.  I  tried  and  tried  to  find  out  who  had  befriended 
\\s,  but  I  never  could.  The  Lord  never  seemed  so  far  off 
after  that  time/  said  the  poor  woman,  looking  down  with  tear- 
ful eyes." 

The  Prayer  in  the  Woods. 

A  friend  relates  the  following  incident,  as  received  from 
the  lips  of  a  poor  afflicted,  crippled  orphan  boy,  whose  own 
•experience  is  a  practical  illustration  of  the  words :  '•  When 
my  father  and  my  mother  forsake  me,  then  the  Lord  will 
take  me  up."     Ps.  xxvii  10. 

"  Out  of  many  instances  of  answered  prayer  I  will  tell  the 
following  one  :  Li  August,  1874,  I  wished  to  go  to  Lowell,  a 
distance  of  some  thirty  miles,  or  more.  I  had  no  money,  and 
did  not  know  how  to  get  there.  I  asked  the  station-agent  and 
the  conductor,  but  each  refused,  saying  it  would  not  be  con- 
sistent with  their  dut3\  Knowing  of  no  human  help,  I  left 
the  depot  and  went  into  the  woods,  some  ways  from  the  sta- 
tion, where  I  could  be  alone,  and  tell  that  Friend  who  is  able 
to  provide,  and  who  is  rich  unto  all  that  call  upon  Him.  I 
knelt  down  beside  the  stump  of  a  tree  and  prayed,  and  told 
the  Lord  all  about  it,  and  asked  Him  either  to  give  me  money, 
or  provide  some  way  that  I  could  go  where  I  desired.  I  felt 
that  the  Lord  heard  and  answered  me,  and  filled  my  soul 
with  praise  and  joy.  The  language  of  my  heart  was,  *  Bless 
the  Lord.' 

''  As  I  turned  and  was  going  out  of  the  woods,  I  heard  a 
voice  saying,  'Halloo.'  As  I  had  seen  no  one,  and  knew  not 
that  any  human  being  was  near,  I  was  surprised  at  this  greet- 
ing. '  Halloo  ! '  said  the  stranger, '  I  never  heard  such  a  prayer 
in  my  life.  Why  did  you  go  and  pray  ?  '  I  told  him  that  I 
felt  heavy,  burdened,  and  I  took  the  burden  to  the  Lord.  He 
said,  'I  heard  you  pray — you  want  money,  do  you?.    The 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  109> 

Lord  has  opened  the  way  ;  here  is  five  dollars.  It  is  the  best 
way  to  go  to  the  Lord,  and  trust  Him  to  open  the  way.  Go. 
and  use  the  money.'  I  thanked  him,  and  I  thanked  the  Lord, 
and  went  on  my  way  rejoicing  in  Him  whose  promise  is,  '  My 
God  shall  supply  all  your  needs/  and  who  himself  had  heard 
and  answered  my  request." 


The  Lord  Can  Do  It. 

"  In  one  of  the  mountainous  towns — says  The  Christian — ► 
in  the  north-western  part  of  Connecticut,  there  lived,  some 
time  since,  an  aged  couple  who  had  seen  some  eighty  years  of 
earthly  pilgrimage,  and  who,  in  their  declining  days,  enjoyed 
the  care  of  a  son  and  daughter,  who  resided  with  them  at  their 
home. 

"  In  process  of  time,  the  son  became  sick,  and  drew  nigh 
the  gates  of  death.  The  doctor  pronounced  him  incurable, 
saying  that  one  lung  was  consumed,  and  that  he  could  live 
but  a  short  time. 

"The  fear  of  her  brother's  death,  and  the  thoughts  of 
being  left  alone  to  bear  the  responsibility  of  the  aged  parents' 
care,  burdened  the  sister's  heart  exceedingly,  and  led  her  to 
cry  mightily  to  the  Lord  to  interpose  for  his  recovery,  and 
spare  him  still  to  them  ;  and  her  importunate  supplicationa 
ascended  to  God,  until  the  answer  came  to  her  heart  as  a 
sacred  whisper, — '  I  have  heard  thy  cry,  and  have  come  down 
to  deliver  thee.' 

"  Comforted  by  this  sweet  assurance,  she  rejoiced  exceed- 
ingly, knowing  that  what  our  Heavenly  Father  promises  he 
is  abundantly  able  to  perform,  and  that  He  will  fulfill  his 
word,  though  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away.  But  her 
faith  was  destined  to  be  tried,  and,  on  the  very  day  after 
she  had   obtained   the  assurance   of  her  brother's   recovery, 

in  came  some  one,  saying,   'The  doctor  says  S can  live 

but  a  little  time.'  For  an  instant,  these  words  were  like 
a  dagger  to  the  sister's   heart,  but  she  still  held  fast  her. 


110  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

confidence,  and  replied :  '  If  men  can't  cure  him,  the  Lord 
can.' 

"From  that  very  moment,  the  brother  began  to  amend. 
On  the  next  day,  when  the  physician  came,  he  looked  at 
him,  commenced  examining  his  symptoms,  and  exclaimed  in 
astonishment:  ^What  have  you  been  doing?  You  are  evi- 
dently better,  and  I  don't  know  but  you  will  get  up,  after 
all.' 

''His  recovery  was  so  rapid,  that  in  two  weeks'  time  he 
was  out  about  his  customary  duties  on  the  farm^  and  that  in 
v^eather  so  damp  and  foggy  that  it  would  have  kept  some 
stronger  men  in-doors.  But  he  was  well ;  the  prayer  of  faith 
was  answered,  and  it  had  saved  the  sick." 

Answer  to  Prayer  in  all  the  Little  Tem- 
poral Anxieties  of  Life 

The  question  having  been  asked,  '^  Does  God  answer 
Prayer,  in  even  all  the  little  anxieties  and  cares  of  daily  life." 
The  Illustrated  Christian  Weekly,  called  in  1876,  for  testimo- 
nies of  the  surety  of  God  in  fulfilling  his  promise,  and  giving 
answer  in  little  things  as  well  as  great  things.  Many,  even 
good  Christians  have  believed  that  they  should  not  pray  for 
anything  for  themselves,  but  only  for  those  things  which 
were  to  be  used  for  God's  work.  The  following  instances  show 
that  those  who  are  devoted  to  God's  good  work  and  helping 
in  his  service  can  ask  for  anything  needed  for  their  personal 
comfort,  and  expect  the  Lord  to  grant  them.  In  truth  the 
Lord  has  commanded  all  his  disciples,  ^Ask  and  receive,  that 
your  joy  may  he  full.''^  ^^ Anything  that  ye  shall  ask  in  my 
name,  I  will  do  itJ^ 

BREAD  TO   THE  HUNGRY. 

"  God  was  pleased  to  deprive  me  totally  of  my  hearing  in 
early  boyhood.  B}^  the  late  war  I  lost  all  of  my  earthly 
possessions.     I  have  a  wife  and  family  totally  dependent  ou 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  HI 

me  for  a  support.  A  man  employed  to  attend  to  my  little 
manufacturing  business  as  manager,  by  imprudent  manage- 
ment, deprived  me  of  every  earthly  dependence  for  a  sup. 
port.  I  had  no  refuge  but  God.  This  feeling  was  intense 
beyond  expression — God  was  my  only  hope.  I  laid  my  case 
before  him.  Then  this  came  to  me,  '  Seek  first  the  kingdom 
of  God  and  his  righteousness,  and  all  these  things  shall  be 
added  unto  you.'  '  Now,'  I  said,  ^  I  am  deeply  conscious  that 
I  and  my  wife  seek  and  desire  the  kingdom  of  God  above  all 
things  ;  God  then  will  give  us  temporal  help.'  Then  a  feel- 
ing came  over  me,  a  feeling  of  waiting  upon  God.  It  was 
sweet  waiting.  I  was  at  rest.  I  had  thought  frequently  if  I 
€Ould  get  two  hundred  dollars  I  could  start  my  little  business 
again.  While  thus  trusting,  and  waiting,  and  praying,  a 
package  was  handed  to  me  by  the  express-agent  containing 
$200  from  a  stranger  in  a  distant  county,  against  whom  I 
held  an  old  note  dated  1856 ;  and  for  many  years  I  had  for- 
gotten the  note,  and  would  have  taken  twenty-five  cents  for 
it  any  time.  The  man  was  bankrupt,  and  did  not  fear  the 
Lord,  nor  know  anything  of  my  situation  in  life.  He  was 
under  no  legal  obligation  to  pay  the  note." 

NO  '^FS." 
"A  number  of  years  ago  I  went  West  to  better  my  condi- 
tion. .  .  .  After  a  little  time  I  went  into  business  of  my 
•own,  had  but  little  capital,  and  my  good  name  to  be  punctual 
in  paying  for  what  I  bought  on  credit  was  of  great  impor- 
tance to  me.  I  had  promised  to  pay  on  a  certain  day  a  note 
of  about  $60.  I  thought  I  was  sure  to  get  the  money,  but 
was  disappointed  ;  I  went  to  the  Lord  for  help,  not  knowing 
how  he  could  send  me  the  money,  but  convinced  that  he  was 
able  to  do  it.  At  about  noon  the  same  day  a  man  inquired 
for  me.  I  knew  him  by  sight ;  he  had  the  name  of  being  a 
hard  man,  took  all  the  interest  he  could  get,  and  never  put 
any  money  out  without  security.  He  had  not  the  note,  but 
he  asked  me  if  I  w^anted  to  hire  any  money;  if  so  he  had 


112  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYEK. 

sixty  dollars  he  would  like  to  let  me  have.  The  man  tool* 
my  note  and  never  did  ask  for  any  security. 

^^  At  another  time,  being  away  from  home  some  2,000 
miles,  was  at  the  house  of  an  uncle  ;  same  evening  I  received 
a  letter  from  my  wife  that  the  children  were  very  sick  and 
but  little  hope  of  recovery.  The  letter  had  been  written  for 
over  a  week.  I  communicated  the  contents  of  the  letter  to  my 
aunt ;  went  up  in  my  room  and  prayed  the  Lord  to  be  their 
physician.  I  felt  so  sure  that  my  prayer  would  be  answered 
that  I  could  not  help  singing  ;  when  they  heard  me  they 
thought  what  a  cold-hearted  man  I  must  be  to  sing  if  the 
children  were  dying  at  home.  But  from  that  day  the  chil- 
dren did  get  better,  and  in  a  short  time  were  out  of  danger. 

"  In  my  younger  years  I  had  a  good  many  ifs,  but  those 
are  all  gone;  I  know  that  the  Lord  has  the  means  at  his  com- 
mand to  answer  all  my  prayers  if  I  come  believing,  asking  in 
the  name  of  Christ." 

THE  HOESE  IS  HIS. 

"  The  writer  was  preaching  Sundays  at  a  little  country 
church,  about  70  miles  by  rail  from  the  institution  where  he 
attended.  He  went  Saturday,  returning  on  Monday.  One 
Saturday  the  train  ran  off  the  track.  All  day  long  they 
worked  at  the  wreck.  At  last,  finding  it  too  late  to  make 
connection  witli  the  other  railroad,  he  took  the  down  train 
back  to  the  institution.  What  should  be  done  ?  A  promise 
to  preach  forty  miles  across  tlie  country  had  been  made. 
There  was  also  an  appointment  six  miles  beyond  for  an  after- 
noon service.  It  was  now  night.  To  drive  across  the  country 
was  the  only  way  open  or  stay  at  home.  Two  disappointed 
congregations  the  result  in  the  latter  case.  But  the  roads 
were  heavy  from  recent  rains.  'Twill  be  so  late  that  none  can 
direct.  Friends  said,  '  Stay ;  you  can't  go  forty  miles  across, 
to  you,  an  unknown  country.'  But  the  writer  felt  it  duty  to 
go.  Hiring  a  horse  noted  for  endurance,  at  nine  o'clock  at 
night — dark,  threatening-^he  set  out.     As    he   headed    the 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  113 

horse  in  the  direction  of  the  village — for  he  could  find  none 
who  could  tell  him  the  exact  road — he  prayed:  '0  God, 
starting  out  to  preach  thy  word  to-morrow,  direct  the  way — 
guide  this  horse.'  The  night  wore  on  ;  as  cross-roads  came, 
dropping  the  lines  over  the  dashboard,  the  same  pra3'er  was 
offered.  When  the  horse  chose  a  road,  the  driver  urged  him 
on.  As  day  began  to  break,  emerging  from  some  wood  in  an 
unfrequented  road,  they  entered  the  village  they  sought. 
The  sermon  that  morning  was  from  the  text,  ^  Son,  go  work 
fco-day  in  my  vineyard.'  The  largest  congregation  of  the 
Summer  had  gathered.  It  will  not  do  to  say  that  the  horse 
knew  the  road.  Returning  in  broad  da3dight  the  next  day, 
though  directed  and  directed  again,  we  lost  the  way  and  went 
seven  miles  out  of  our  course.  A  scientist  might  laugh  at 
this  way  of  driving,  or  at  asking  God  to  guide  in  such  trival 
matters.  But  we  shall  still  believe  that  God  led  the  horse 
and  blessed  us  in  our  attempt  to  serve  him." 

ALL  OUR  NEEDS. 

'^About  eight  years  ago,  while  a  student  in  college,  I  be- 
came embarrassed  for  want  of  funds.  Debts  began  to  accu- 
mulate. Anticipating  money  from  usual  sources,  promises 
had  been  made  to  pay  at  a  certain  date. 

"  The  time  to  make  these  payments  approached.  The  an- 
ticipated money  did  not  come,  A  student  in  debt  is  most 
dependent  and  hopeless.  In  great  distress,  locking  the  study- 
door,  I  sat  down  to  think.  First  came  visions  of  an  auction 
sale  of  a  few  books  and  scanty  furniture  ;  then  of  notes  and 
protests ;  finally  the  promises  of  God  came  into  mind.  I 
knew  he  had  promised  to  supply  my  wants.  'AH  things 
whatsoever  ye  have  need  of,'  came  home  in  great  power.  I 
am  needy,  I  have  given  up  business,  all,  to  preach  the  gospel. 
I  remember  as  'twere  yesterday  the  feelings,  the  struggles, 
of  that  hour.  With  all  earnestness  I  asked  for  help  in  my  hour 
of  distress.  At  last  I  felt  confident  that  the  aid  needed  would 
come  in  time,  Saturday ;  this  was  Monday.  I  thanked  God 
8 


114  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

for  the  answer — and  being  questioned  by  a  needy  creditor 
of  that  afternoon,  assured  him  that  his  money  would  be 
ready. 

"  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thursday  passed — no  sign,  but  faith 
said  God  will  not  fail.  Friday  morning — heart  beat  fast  as 
I  went  to  the  post-office — it  seemed  as  if  through  its  agency 
the  help  would  come.  Nothing.  But  it  must  be  here  to-day. 
Returning  from  the  office  Friday  evening,  M^ondering  how 
God  would  send  deliverance,  I  saw  on  my  table  a  long  official 
envelope.  A  classmate  preceding  me  at  the  office  had  brought 
it.  A  letter  from  a  gentleman  in  Wall  street  whom  I  have 
never  seen.     On  Monday,  he  casually  asked  of  a  tea-broker, 

an   acquaintance,    if   he   knew   of  any  one  in   H .     The 

broker  mentioned,  after  a  little  thought,  my  name. 

"  The  letter  contained  a  request  for  service  of  a  peculiar 
sort,  connected  with  some  legal  matters,  contained  money  and 
promise  of  more.  Over  three  times  the  sum  I  asked  God  for 
was  finally  given.     More  than  enough  for  a  ternv's  expenses. 

"I  never  mentioned  the  matter  of  my  need  at  that  time  to 
a  human  being,  nor  spoke  of  the  prayer.  I  have  always 
thanked  God  for  that,  and  am  sure  he  provides  for  me  in  ac- 
cordance with  his  promise." 

HE  HEALETH  THE  SICK. 

"  The  wife  of  Deacon  W.  was  sinking  rapidly  with  pneu- 
taonia.  Friends  gave  up  all  hope  of  her  recovery,  and  even 
the  hopeful  physician  felt  that  he  was  hoping  against  hope. 
In  his  despair  the  husband  bore  the  case  directly  to  God ;  he 
sought  the  prayers  of  his  minister  and  of  the  church ; 
and  he  asked  all  Christians  to  pray  that  the  mother  of  his 
little  children  might  be  spared.  She  lingered  between  life 
and  death  for  several  days,  when  unexpectedly  to  many,  she 
began  to  gain  strength,  and  in  due  season  was  about  again. 
This  was  several  years  ago,  and  she  has  been  an  active  work- 
er in  the  church  and  Sunday-school  ever  since." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  115 

A  POWERFUL  DREAM. 

*'  My  father,  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  was  prostrated  by 
sickness.  A  large  family  of  little  ones  was  dependent  upon 
him  for  support.  Funds  ran  low.  One  evening  my  mother 
remarked  that  she  had  broken  the  last  dollar.  My  father  lay 
awake  most  of  the  night,  praying  to  his  God  for  help  in  this 
emergency.  That  same  night  a  man  in  a  parish  not  many 
miles  distant  was  much  impressed  by  a  dream.  He  dreamed 
that  a  minister  who  preached  in  his  church  not  long  before, 
was  sick  and  in  want.  He  knew  neither  his  name  nor  his 
place  of  residence.  He  arose  at  the  first  dawn  of  day,  and  go- 
ing to  his  own  pastor  inquired  the  name  and  address  of  the 
stranger  who  had  recently  preached  for  them.  These  obtain- 
ed, he  mounted  his  horse,  and  knocked  at  our  door  just  as  my 
mother  drew  up  the  window-shades.  She  answered  the 
knock,  when,  without  a  word,  a  stranger  placed  an  envelope 
in  her  h*ind  and  immediately  rode  away.  The  envelope  con- 
tained a  ten-dollar  bill,  which  we  all  believed  was  the  Lord's 
answer  t  j  our  father's  prayer.  Afterwards  these  facts  were 
disclosed  by  the  pastor  to  him  whom  the  Lord  chose  to  dis- 
perse his  bounty." 

ASK  AND  YE  SHALL  RECEIVE. 

"  In  1874,  through  Providence,  I  became  sore  pressed  to 
provide  for  myself  and  family  ;  two  of  my  children  had  just 
begun  to  learn  to  read.  I  was  desirous  to  procure  for  them 
the  'N. — ,'  (a  children's  journal,)  but  I  could  not  see  how  I 
was  to  pay  for  it  and  meet  other  obligations.  So  I  carried  it 
to  our  Father  in  heaven,  asking  if  it  was  best  and  according 
to  his  will  my  children  should  get  the  '  N. — .'  In  about  ten 
days  afterward  I  received  a  note  from  a  lady  friend,  with 
whom  I  or  none  of  our  family  had  had  any  communication 
for  weeks,  and  in  that  note  she  advised  us  that  her  little 
daughter,  the  same  age  as  our  second,  had  sent  as  a  Christ- 
mas  gift  a  subscription  for  the   '  JS". — /   to  be  sent  to  our 


116  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Mary's  address.     '  If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  in  you, 
ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you. ' " 

CASTING  ALL  YOUE  CARE  ON  HIM. 

"  Once,  soon  after  the  death  of  my  husband  and  the  loss  of 
all  his  large  property,  I  had  a  bill  of  fifty  dollars  to  pay,  and 
was  notified  two  weeks  beforehand  that  not  a  day's  grace 
would  be  given.  Besides  what  I  was  earning  by  my  pen,  I 
had  due  me,  in  a  neighboring  city,  just  the  amount  I  should 
need — the  income  on  my  only  remaining  piece  of  real  estate ; 
and,  as  my  tenant  was  always  prompt,  I  wrote  to  him  where 
to  send  me  the  money,  and  gave  the  subject  no  farther  thought. 
But,  when  the  time  for  his  response  was  already  past,  and  I 
heard  nothing  from  my  debts,  and  but  a  few  days  to  the  time 
of  my  own  need  yet  remained,  I  felt  anxious  and  sought 
divine  direction  as  to  the  course  I  ought  to  pursue.  Kising 
from  my  knees,  I  took  up  my  Bible,  and  the  very  first  words 
my  eyes  rested  upon,  were  these  :  'Casting  alLyour  care  upon 
Him,  for  he  careth  for  you.'  All  anxiety  from  that  hour  left 
me  ;  but  I  felt  impelled  to  apply  to  a  certain  editor  for  the 
payment  of  tiventy  dollars  he  owed  me,  and  I  felt  sure  the 
other  thirty  would  come  from  somewhere. 

"  So  the  days  passed  until  the  morning  of  the  day  upon 
which  I  should  be  called  on  for  the  fifty  dollars,  and  still  I 
had  not  a  single  dollar  on  hand  to  meet  the  claim.  At  ten 
o'clock  my  creditor  came,  but  half  an  hour  before  him  the 
postman  had  put  into  my  hand  a  letter  containing  a  check  for 
fifty  dollars,  the  exact  amount  I  needed.  It  had  come  from 
the  editor  to  whom  I  had  applied  for  twenty  dollars,  and  lo  I 
he  had  sent  me  fifty.  The  thirty  advanced  he  said  I  could 
give  him  credit  for  on  my  next  MS.  He  did  not  know  my 
need,  but  God  did,  and  thus  He  had  answered  my  prayer." 

IN  EVEEYTHING  MAKE  KNOWN  YOUR  WANTS. 
"Six  years  ago,  on  the  low  country  of  South  Carolina,  a 
friend  asked  me  to  go  with  him  to  a  camp-meeting.     I  was 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  117 

delighted  with  the  idea,  for,  in  my  estimation,  a  good  camp- 
meeting  comes  nearer  heaven  than  any  other  place  on  earth. 

"Just  three  da_ys  before  we  were  to  go,  an  unexpected  cir- 
cumstance connected  with  his  business,  made  it  impossible  for 
him  to  leave.  It  was  with  real  heartfelt  sorrow  I  heard  of  it. 
The  day  before  we  were  to  have  started,  as  I  saw  another  mem- 
ber of  the  family,  who  was  going  with  a  friend,  packing  her 
trunk,  it  seemed  to  me  I  could  not  bear  it.  I  carried  my 
trouble  to  my  dear  heavenly  Father,  begging  him  to  send  me 
a  way  to  go. 

"I  rose  from  my  knees  with  the  sweet  assurance  in  my 
heart  my  prayer  was  heard — packed  my  trunk  and  waited 
patiently.  When  night  came  and  the  men  came  home,  in  the 
place  of  the  expected  buggy  came  a  small  spring-wagon,  and 
a  seat  for  me.  What  may  seem  more  remarkable,  the  change 
between  buggy  and  spring-wagon  was  made  ten  miles  away, 
while  I  was  praying. 

"  I  believe  I  enjoyed  the  meeting  more  for  the  feeling  of 
thankfulness  that  pervaded  my  whole  being  while  there." 

THE  GREAT  PHYSICIAN. 

"  Nearly  five  years  ago,  after  a  decline  of  almost  two  years, 
I  was  brought  very  near  to  the  grave.  Medical  aid  availed 
nothing.  I  was  fearfully  emaciated,  and  my  death  was  daily 
expected.  A  devoted  mother  and  a  sister,  who  had  watched 
over  me  tenderly  during  ni}^  long  illness,  were  completely 
exhausted. 

"  I  determined  to  apply  to  the  Great  Physician,  as  directed 
in  James  5  :  14.  As  I  united  with  others  in  prayer,  uncon- 
sciously I  uttered  these  words,  '  I  shall  yet  praise  Thee  in  the 
great  congregation.'  All  present  felt  assured  that  it  was  the 
will  of  God  to  restore  me  to  health.  Appearances  were  against 
me  ;  for  some  time  I  could  sleep  but  very  little,  and  there  was 
no  perceptible  gain.  But  trusting  in  the  sure  promise,  the  next 
Sabbath  I  rode  a  short  distance  to  church,  and,  as  I  thus  ven- 
tured out  little  by  little,  my  strength  gradually  returned.     A 


118  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

few  months  later,  my  mother,  who  through  disease  had  been 
in  a  state  of  despair  for  some  years,  was  enabled  again  to 
hope  in  God's  mercy." 

SHALL  SAVE  THE  SICK. 

"  I  was  desperately  ill.  My  physicians  had  done  all  in  their 
power,  without  success — and  yet  I  lived  !  For  my  father's 
sake,  the  hearts  of  hundreds  waited  the  issue,  and  prayed  for 
me !  For  his  sake,  the  bells  in  the  neighborhood  were  tied — 
the  criers  did  not  come  within  sound  of  J:he  house — nor  was 
the  sound  of  wheels  heard  upon  the  street.  There  was  a 
death-like  stillness  without  and  within. 

*'The  phj^sicians  sat  with  folded  hands  and  wept,  because 
the  blow  seemed  too  heavy  for  my  father  to  bear — the  thought 
that  I  was  going  to  die  without  any  assurance  that  I  trusted 
in  my  Saviour ! 

" '  It  cannot  be,'  he  said,  '  I  will  wrestle  with  my  God  until 
He  hears  me  ! '  Sunday  came.  In  almost  every  church  a 
special  prayer  was  offered  for  my  recovery.  After  morning 
service,  a  band  of  devoted  women  met,  and  offered  fervent 
prayers  that  God  would  spare  my  life.  Evening  came — the 
weary  doctors  went  home,  leaving  the  last  sacred  moments 
to  my  parents.  Early  next  morning  they  came  again,  and 
exclaimed,  as  they  entered  the  room,  '  She  is  better  !  Prayer 
has  saved  her  ! '  I  still  live,  '  a  spared  monument  of  God's 
mercy.' " 

ALL-SUFFICIENT  FOR  ALL  NEED. 

*'l  am  a  mother  of  seven  children.  By  the  help  of  our 
Father  in  heaven,  we  have  all  of  us  gone  regularly  to  church 
and  Sunday-school.  We  are  poor;  and  at  length  the  time 
came  we  were  not  clothed  so  we  could  comfortably  go  to 
church.  I  earnestly  asked  our  Father  to  show  me,  within  a 
week,  which  was  right  for  us  to  do  :  to  go  in  debt  for  clothes, 
or  stay  at  home.  Within  that  week,  I  received  a  large  pack- 
age of  ready-made  clothing.  The  clothing  came  from  a  source 
I  never  thought  of  receiving  anything  from." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  119 

A  VERY  PRESENT  HELP  IN  TROUBLE. 

*'At  one  time,  during  a  season  of  adversity,  there  was 
urgent  occasion  for  a  certain  sum  beyond  the  income  of  the 
family,  and  there  was  no  way  of  borrowing  it.  I  took  the 
matter  to  the  Lord  in  prayer,  asking  Him,  if  the  money 
were  really  needed,  as  it  appeared  to  be,  to  send  it,  and,  if 
it  were  not,  to  remove  the  distressing  circumstances.  The 
answer  came  in  a  sum  five  times  the  amount  asked  for,  and 
In  a  manner  totally  unexpected." 


"  At  another  time,  the  mother  of  the  family  was  very  ill, 
aTid,  when  apparently  near  death,  the  physicians  had  ordered 
a  remedy  which  was  to  be  constantly  employed,  as  her  life,  so 
far  as  they  could  judge,  depended  on  its  use.  '  One  night,  her 
symptoms  became  so  alarming  as  to  compel  the  writer  (who 
had  charge  of  the  nursing)  to  use  this  remedy  more  freely  than 
ever,  and,  about  midnight  the  supply  was  exhausted.  There 
was  no  possibility  of  obtaining  any  more  before  morning,  and 
the  rest  of  that  night,  while  attending  to  the  other  directions 
of  the  doctors,  I  spent  in  one  earnest,  agonizing  prayer  that 
God  would  so  overrule  natural  causes  that  death  would  not 
occur  in  consequence  of  what  I  felt  to  be  my  own  culpable 
carelessness  in  not  having  provided  a  larger  quantity  of  an 
article  so  necessary.  In  His  great  mercy.  He  granted  the 
prayer,  the  dangerous  symptoms  did  not  increase  during  the 
seven  or  eight  hours  that  intervened  before  the  remedy  could 
be  procured.  One  proof  that  it  was  a  special  mercy,  is  found 
in  the  fact  that  there  was  no  other  such  standing  still  of  the 
disease,  either  before  this  or  afterward.  And  the  doctors  were 
astonished  when  they  saw  that  the  disease  had  made  no  prog- 
ress, under  conditions  that  rendered  that  progress  inevitable 
in  the  usual  law  of  cause  and  effect.  And  when,  on  her  final 
recovery.  Doctor  Parker  told  her  that  she  owed  her  life  to  the 
good  care  I  had  taken  of  her,  my  thoughts  went  back  to  the 


120  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

long  hours  of  that  night  of  anguish,  and  I  said,  '  It  was  the 
Lord  that  took  care  of  her.'  '  I  meant  your  care,  under  Prov- 
idence/ was  the  reply." 

HE  SHALL  DIEECT  THY  PATHS. 

"I  am  a  teacher  by  profession,  and,  a  few  years  ago,  I  found 
myself  placed  in  a  school  whose  every  surrounding  was  utterly 
repugnant  to  my  tastes,  and  to  all  my  ideas  of  right  and  wrong 
and  what  good  teaching  should  be.  At  first,  I  kept  hoping 
that  things  would  grow  better,  and  that  I  should,  at  least,  be 
able  to  have  some  influence  on  the  modes  of  teaching;  but  I 
soon  found  that  everything  connected  with  the  establishment 
was  directed  by  the  iron  will  of  an  unscrupulous  and  tyran- 
nical woman,  whose  laws  were  as  irrevocable  as  those  of  the 
Medes  and  Persians.  I  at  once  decided  I  could  not  stay  there 
long,  but  I  had  no  other  position  in  view,  and  it  was  not  easy 
to  secure  one  in  the  middle  of  the  term.  As  usual,  I  made  it 
a  subject  of  praj-er,  and  the  result  was  that,  in  a  short  time,  I 
was  most  unexpectedly,  and  without  the  least  solicitation  on 
my  part,  offered  a  much  better  position,  in  every  respect, 
which,  of  course,  I  was  only  too  thankful  to  accept.  That  is 
only  one  instance,  out  of  thousands  I  could  name,  where  God 
has  heard  and  answered  my  prayers,  and  I  believe  He  will  do 
so  to  the  end." 

How  the  Lord  is   Constantly  Caring  for 
His  Trusting  Poor. 

A  city  missionary  recently  found,  in  this  city  on  the  streets, 
a  refined  Englishwoman  with  her  children,  who  had  been 
turned  out  of  her  home  for  non-payment  of  rent.  With  the 
aid  of  a  few  friends  he  installed  her  in  a  new  domicile,  and 
procured  work  for  her.  From  time  to  time  he  visited  her,  and 
rejoiced  with  her  that  God  had  sent  him  to  her  in  the  hour  of 
extremity.  At  length,  pressure  of  business  kept  him  away 
for  some  time,  until^  one  evening,  he  started  out  to  look  up  a 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  121 

few  dollars  owing  him,  in  order  to  procure  some  delicacies  for 
a  sick  wife.  One  dollar  was  all  he  could  procure,  and  with 
that  in  his  pocket  he  was  returning  homeward,  when  he  became 
so  impressed  with  the  idea  that  he  should  visit  the  English- 
woman that  he  turned  aside  and  did  so.  He  found  her  in 
tears,  and  asking  the  cause,  heard  the  sorrowful  tale  of  no 
work,  no  food  in  the  house  for  to-morrow,  which  was  Sunday. 
He  was  in  doubt  whether  to  give  her  the  dollar  and  suffer  his 
sick  wife  to  go  without  something  palatable,  but  in  a  moment, 
"  Blessed  is  he  that  considereth  the  poor ;  the  Lord  will  deliver 
him  in  time  of  trouble,"  presented  itself  to  his  mind,  and — 
tl^e  dollar  dried  the  widow's  tears. 

Upon  reaching  his  home  he  found  a  lady  had  called  on 
his  wife  and  brought  with  her  three  or  four  kinds  of  jellies, 
fruit,  home-made  biscuit,  various  relishing  things  ;  three  times 
more  than  the  dollar  would  have  purchased. 

The  same  gentleman,  while  calling  on  a  poor  family  one 
day,  discovered  a  little  house  in  the  rear,  which  he  visited, 
finding  a  neat,  cleanly  room,  occupied  by  an  old  lady,  crippled 
with  rheumatism.  He  found  she  had  no  one  in  the  world 
but  a  sister,  a  monthly  nurse,  to  care  for  her.  When  first 
setting  out  on  his  tour  that  morning,  the  missionary  had 
fifty  cents  given  him  by  a  gentleman,  who  expressed  the  hope 
that  "it  might  do  some  good  during  the  day."  Although 
a  number  of  visits  had  been  made,  he  had  not  felt  called 
upon  to  bestow  it  until  then,  nor  could  he  tell  why  he  should 
want  to  put  it  in  the  old  lady's  hand  at  parting,  but  he 
did  so. 

She  was  too  much  overcome  by  her  emotions  to  speak,  but 
she  took  his  hand  and  led  him  to  a  little  table,  on  which  lay 
a  Bible,  opened  at  the  passage,  "  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the 
Father  in  my  name,  He  will  give  it  you."  She  said,  "Please 
tell  me  if  any  one  sent  you  here  ?"  "No."  "Did  jou  ever 
hear  that  I  lived  here  ?  "  "I  did  not."  "  Then  the  Lord  sent 
you  in  answer  to  my  prayer  this  morning.  For  the  first  time 
in  my  life,  I  am  without  food.     My  sister  was  to  have  come 


122  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

home  yesterday,  but  has  not.     I  was  just  asking  the  Lord  to 
provide  for  me  when  you  knocked  at  the  door." 

Such  scenes  as  these  amply  repay  our  missionaries  for  all 
the  toils  and  weariness,  all  the  anxieties  and  perplexities  of 
the  work. 

A  Prayer  for  Bread. 

"  Washington  Allston,  who  stood  at  the  head  of  American 
artists  a  half  century  ago,  was,  at  one  time,  so  reduced  by  pov- 
erty, that  he  locked  his  studio,  in  London,  one  day,  threw 
himself  on  his  knees  and  prayed  for  a  loaf  of  bread  for  him- 
self and  wife.  While  thus  engaged,  a  knock  was  heard  at 
the  door,  which  the  artist  hastened  to  open.  A  stranger 
inquired  for  Mr.  Allston,  and  was  anxious  to  know  who  was 
the  fortunate  purchaser  of  the  painting  of  the  'Angel  Uriel,^ 
which  had  won  the  prize  at  the  exhibition  of  the  Royal  Acad- 
emy. He  was  told  that  it  was  not  sold.  '  Where  is  it  to  be 
found  ?  '  'In  this  very  room,'  said  Allston,  producing  a  paint- 
ing from  a  corner  and  wiping  off  the  dust.  '  It  is  for  sale, 
but  its  value  has  not  been  adequately  appreciated,  and  I  would 
not  part  with  it.'  '  What  is  its  price  ? '  'I  have  done  affix- 
ing any  nominal  sum.  I  have  always  so  far  exceeded  any 
offers,  I  leave  it  to  you  to  name  the  price.'  '  Will  four  hun- 
dred pounds  be  an  adequate  recompense  ?'  'It  is  more  than 
I  ever  asked  for  it.'  '  Then  the  painting  is  mine,'  said  the 
stranger,  who  introduced  himself  as  the  Marquis  of  Stafford, 
and,  from  that  time,  became  one  of  Mr.  Allston's  warmest 
friends  and  patrons." 

The  Danghter's  Prayer. 

The  late  Doctor  Krummacher,  chaplain  to  the  king  of  Prus- 
sia, in  referring  to  faith  and  prayer,  writes  as  follows  : 

''A  little  incident  occurs  to  me  which  I  can  hardly  with- 
hold, on  account  of  its  simplicity  and  beauty.  The  mother 
of  a  little  girl,  only  four  years  of    age,  had  been,  for  some 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  123 

time,  most  dangerously  ill.  The  physician  had  given  her  up. 
When  the  little  girl  heard  this,  she  went  into  an  adjoining 
room,  knelt  down,  and  said :  '  Dear  Lord  Jesus,  0  make  my 
mother  well  again.' 

"  After  she  had  thus  prayed,  she  said,  as  though  in  God's 
name,  with  as  deep  a  voice  as  she  could  :  ^  Yes,  my  dear  child, 
I  will  do  it  gladly  ! '  This  was  the  little  girl's  amen.  She 
rose  up,  joyfully  ran  to  her  mother's  bed,  and  said  :  '  Mother, 
you  will  get  well ! ' 

"  And  she  recovered,  and  is  in  health  to  this  day.  Is  it, 
then,  always  permitted  for  me  to  pray  thus  unconditionally 
respecting  temporal  concerns  ?  No  ;  thou  must  not  venture 
to  do  so,  if,  whilst  you  ask,  you  doubt.  But  shouldst  thou 
ever  be  inclined  by  God's  Spirit  to  pray  thus,  without  doubt 
or  scruple,  in  a  filial  temper,  and  with  simplicity  of  heart, 
resting  on  the  true  foundation,  and  in  genuine  faith,  then 
pray  thus  by  all  means !  None  dare  censure  thee ;  God  will 
accept  thee." 

The  Lord  Will  Provide. 

"A  city  missionary,  one  Saturday  night,  was  going  home 
w-ith  a  basket  of  provisions  on  his  arm.  Meeting  a  police- 
man, he  asked  him  if  there  had  any  families  moved  in  the 
bounds  of  his  beat  during  the  week.  He  answered,  '  Yes,' 
and,  pointing  to  a  building  up  an  alley,  said,  ^a  woman  and 
some  children  are  living  there  now.' 

"  The  missionary  w-ent  to  the  house,  rapped  at  the  door,  and 
was  admitted.  The  woman  was  sitting  by  a  small  light,  sew- 
ing. In  the  corner  of  the  room,  were  two  little  girls,  appar- 
ently from  nine  to  twelve  years  of  age,  playing. 

"  The  missionary  said,  '  Madam,  I  am  here  to  see  if  you 
will  allow  your  girls  to  attend  Sunday-school  to-morrow  morn- 
ing.' 'I  would,  sir;  but  what  you  see  on  them  is  all  the 
clothing  they  have,  and  you  would  not  wish  them  to  go  as 
they  are  now.'      '  The  Lord  will  provide,  madam.     Have  you 


124  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

no  money  ? '  '  Not  yet,  but  I  have  committed  my  ease  into 
the  hands  of  the  Lord.'  '  Have  you  anything  to  eat  ? ' 
^Nothing,  sir!'  'What  will  you  do  for  breakfast?'  ^  0, 
sir,  1  once  had  a  husband;  he  provided  when  he  could.  These 
children  had  a  father  ;  he  supplied  their  wants  ;  but  he  is 
dead  now.  Yet  my  Maker,  even  God,  is  my  husband,  and  He 
has  promised  to  be  a  father  to  the  fatherless.  We  have  com- 
mitted all  to  Him,  have  called  upon  Him  in  this  our  day  of 
trouble.  I  am  trusting  in  God  to  take  care  of  a  poor  widow 
and  her  children  in  a  strange  place,  and  I  know  He  will  pro- 
vide.' 'Thank  God  for  such  faith,'  said  the  missionary;  and, 
handing  her  the  basket,  said  '  here  is  your  breakfast,  and  you 
shall  have  the  clothing  for  your  children.'  With  tears  stream- 
ing down  her  face,  she  replied  :  '  Oh,  thank  God  for  his  faith- 
fulness !  He  heareth  and  answereth  prayer.  May  He  bless 
you  ! '  And,  said  our  dear  brother  to  us,  '  I  felt  the  promise 
was  sure,  for  she  was  blessed  in  receiving,  I  was  more  so  in 
giving.' " 

A  Prayer  for  a  Load  of  Wood. 

Here  is  an  illustration  of  the  way  in  which  God  sends 
relief  in  trouble.  The  story  is  told  by  the  Christian  woman 
to  whom  it  happened,  in  her  own  language : 

"  About  the  month  of  January,  1863,  I  was  living  in  Con- 
necticut, alone  with  two  little  boys,  one  of  them  four  years 
old,  and  the  other  about  a  year  and  a  half  old.  M}^  husband 
was  away  in  the  service  of  his  countr}-.  When  the  coldest 
weather  came,  I  was  nearly  out  of  wood.  I  went  down  into 
tlie  village,  one  day,  to  try  and  get  some,  but  tried  in  vain  ; 
so  many  men  were  away  in  the  army  that  help  was  scarce. 
Very  little  wood  was  brought  into  market,  and  those  living  on 
the  main  street,  got  all  that  came,  while  those  who  lived  out- 
side the  village  could  get  none.  I  tried  to  buy  a  quarter  of 
a  cord  from  two  or  three  merchants,  but  could  not  get  any. 
One  of  them  told  me  he  could  not  get  what  he  wanted  for  his 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  125 

own  family.  Another  said  he  wasn't  willing  to  yoke  up  his 
team  for  so  small  a  quantity  ;  but,  as  I  only  had  a  dollar  and 
seventy-five  cents,  I  could  not  buy  any  more,  and  so  I  was 
obliged  to  go  home  without  any.  I  went  back  to  my  little 
ones,  feeling  very  sad.  But  while  I  sat  there,  almost  ready  to 
cry,  the  words  of  Abraham  came  into  my  mind,  'Jehovah- 
Jireh,  the  Lord  will  provide.'  Then  I  went  up  to  my  cham- 
ber. There  I  knelt  down  and  told  God  of  my  trouble,  and 
asked  him  to  help  me  and  send  the  relief  that  we  needed.. 
Then  I  went  to  the  window  and  waited,  looking  down  the 
street,  expecting  to  see  the  wood  coming.  After  waiting  a 
while,  without  seeing  any  come,  my  faith  began  to  fail.  I 
said  to  myself,  '  The  Lord  did  provide  for  Abraham,  but  He 
won't  provide  for  me.'  Our  last  stick  of  wood  was  put  in  the 
stove.  It  was  too  cold  to  keep  the  children  in  the  house  with' 
out  fire.  I  got  the  children's  clothes  out,  and  thought  I  would 
take  them  to  the  house  of  a  kind  neighbor,  where  I  knew  they 
could  stay  till  we  got  some  wood.  But,  just  as  I  was  going 
out  with  the  children,  in  passing  by  the  window,  I  saw  the 
top  of  a  great  load  of  wood  coming  up  the  road  towards  our 
little  house.  Can  that  be  for  us  ?  I  asked  myself.  Presently 
I  saw  the  wagon  turn  off  the  road  and  come  up  towards  our 
door.  Then  I  was  puzzled  to  know  how  to  pay  for  it.  A  dol- 
lar and  seventy-five  cents  I  knew  would  only  go  a  little  way 
towards  paying  for  all  that  wood.  The  oxen  came  slowly  on, 
dragging  the  load  to  our  door.  I  asked  the  man  if  there 
wasn't  some  mistake  about  it.  'No,  ma'am,'  said  he, '  there's 
no  mistake.'  '  I  did  not  order  it,  and  I  cannot  pay  for  it,'  was 
my  reply.  'Never  mind,  ma'am,'  said  he,  'a  friend  ordered 
it,  and  it  is  all  paid  for.'  Then  he  unhitched  the  oxen  from 
the  wagon,  and  gave  them  some  hay  to  eat.  When  this  was 
done,  he  asked  for  a  saw  and  ax,  and  never  stopped  till  tlie 
whole  load  was  cut  and  split  and  piled  away  in  the  woodshed. 
"  This  was  more  than  I  could  stand.  My  feelings  overcame 
me,  and  I  sat  down  and  cried  like  a  child.  But  these  were 
not  bitter  tears  of  sorrow.     They  were  tears  of  joy  and  glad* 


126  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

ness,  of  gratitude  and  thankfulness.  I  felt  ashamed  of  my- 
self for  doubting  God's  word,  and  I  prayed  that  I  might 
never  do  so  again.  What  pleasure  I  had  in  using  that  wood ! 
Every  stick  of  it,  as  I  took  it  up,  seemed  to  have  a  voice  with 
which  to  say  '  Jehovah-Jireh.'  As  Abraham  stood  on  the  top 
of  Mount  Moriah  he  could  say,  '  The  Lord  ivill  provide.'  But 
every  day,  as  I  went  into  our  woodshed,  I  could  point  to  that 
blessed  pile  of  wood  sent  from  heaven,  and  saj^,  'The  Lord 
does  provide.' " 

A  Refractory  Man  Compelled  to  Pay  a 
Debt. 

A  refractory  man  who  owed  a  small  debt  of  about  $43,  re- 
fused to  pay  it  all,  but  offered  to  do  so  if  ten  dollars  was 
taken  off.  His  creditor,  feeling  that  it  was  just,  declined  to 
abate  the  amount. 

For  more  than  a  year  the  creditor  waited,  after  having  no 
attention  paid  to  his  correspondence  or  claim  by  the  debtor, 
who  exhibited  unmistakable  obstinacy  and  want  of  courtesy. 
At  last  it  was  put  into  the  hands  of  a  lawyer.  The  lawyer, 
too,  was  fairly  provoked  at  the  faithlessness  of  the  debtor  in 
his  promises  or  his  attention  to  the  subject ;  thus  matters 
dragged  wearily  for  months,  yet  exercised  leniency  in  press- 
ing the  claim. 

The  creditor,  whose  forbearance  had  now  reached  the  ex- 
tremity of  endurance,  at  last  was  led  to  take  it  to  the  Lord 
in  prayer;  saying  he  would  "willingly  forgive  the  whole 
debt  if  in  anything  he  was  wrong,  but  if  the  Lord  thought  it 
was  right,  hoped  that  his  debtor  might  he  coyyipelled  to  i)ay 
the  amount  he  so  obstinately  withheld^' 

To  the  astonishment  of  all,  a  letter  received  from  the  lawyer 
four  days  after,  informed  him  that  his  debtor  had  called  and 
paid  the  claim  in  full  with  interest  to  date.  "  In  doing  so, 
he  said  he  paid  it  under  protest,^^  thus  showing  he  was  com- 
pelled by  something  he  could  not  resist  to  pay  it  all. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  127 

A  Hurricane  Passes  Around  a  Ship. 

A  Sea  Captain  relates  to  the  editor  of  the  Christian,  a  re- 
markable incident,  whereby  in  one  of  his  voyages  his  ship 
was  unaccountably  held  still,  and  thereby  saved  from  sailing 
•directly  into  the  midst  of  a  terrible  hurricane  : — "  We  sailed 
from  the  Kennebec  on  the  first  of  October,  1876.  There  had 
been  several  severe  gales,  and  some  of  my  friends  thought  it 
hardly  safe  to  go,  but  after  considerable  prayer  I  concluded 
it  was  right  to  undertake  the  voyage.  On  the  19tli  of  Octo- 
ber we  were  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  west  of  the 
Bahamas,  and  we  encountered  very  disagreeable  weather. 
For  five  or  six  days  ive  seemed  held  by  shifting  currents,  or 
some  unknoivn  fower,  in  about  the  same  'place.  We  would 
think  we  had  sailed  thirty  or  forty  miles,  when  on  taking  our 
•observations  we  would  fi.nd  we  were  ivithin  three  ov  four  miles 
of  our  position  the  day  before.  This  circumstance  occurring 
repeatedly  proved  a  trial  to  my  faith,  and  I  said  within  my 
heart,  ^  Lord,  why  are  we  so  hindered,  and  kept  in  this  posi- 
tion ?^  Day  after  day  we  were  held  as  if  by  an  unseen  force, 
until  at  length  a  change  took  place,  and  we  went  on  our  way. 
Reaching  our  port  they  inquired,  ^  Where  have  you  been 
through  the  gale  ?  '  ^  What  gale  ? '  we  asked.  '  We  have  seen 
no  gale.''  We  then  learned  that  a  terrible  hurricane  had 
swept  through  that  region,  and  that  all  was  desolation.  We 
afterwards  learned  that  this  hurricane  had  swept  around  us, 
and  had  almost  formed  a  circle  around  the  place  occupied  by 
us  during  the  storm.  A  hundred  miles  in  one  direction  all 
was  wreck  and  ruin,  fifty  miles  in  the  opposite  direction  all 
zvas  desolation  ;  and  while  that  storm  was  7'aging  in  all  its 
fury,  we  luere  held  in  perfect  safety,  in  quiet  waters,  and  in 
continual  anxiety  to  change  our  position  and  pursue  our  voy- 
age. One  day  of  ordinary  sailing  would  have  brought  us  into 
the  track  of  the  storm,  and  sent  us  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 
We  were  anxious  to  sail  on,  but  some  unseen  power  held  us 
where  we  were,  and  we  escarped." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 


The  Captain  was  a  prayerful  man,  trusting  in  his  Lord, 
though  his  faith  was  tried,  and  he  thought  the  Lord  was  not 
helping  him.  Yet  the  Lord  was  keeping  his  promise  to  him^ 
"  The  beloved  of  the  Lord  shall  dwell  in  safety  by  him,  and 
the  Lord  shall  cover  him  all  the  day  longP 

Recovery  from  Spinal  Disease. 

"  Miss  M is  the  daughter  of  a  respectable  farmer,  an 

elder  in  a  Presbyterian  church  in  Western  Pennsylvania. 
When  a  young  girl  her  spine  was  injured  while  nursing  her 
aged  and  helpless  grandmother,  and  she  has  been  a  great 
sufferer  for  many  years.  For  eleven  years  she  has  not  been 
able  to  attend  church  nor  to  go  from  home,  and  for  a  long 
time  was  unable  to  leave  her  chamber  or  her  bed.  Two  years 
ago  she  was  so  ill  that  hopes  of  her  recovery  were  abandoned, 
her  mind  was  thought  to  be  seriously,  even  hopelessly  im- 
paired. Her  physician  acknowledged  that  her  disease  baffled 
his  skill. 

"A  few  months  ago,  being  near  her  residence  and  hearing 
that  her  health  was  better,  I  called  on  her,  and  to  my  sur- 
prise, found  her  able  to  sew,  walk  about,  and  even  go  down 
stairs.  She  informed  me  that  she  suffered  so  intensely  from 
the  remedies  used  for  her  cure,  and  constantly  grew  worse, 
that  she  determined  to  do  nothing  more;  it  seemed  like  fight- 
ing against  God ;  she  would  put  herself  into  His  hands  to  do 
with  her  as  He  pleased.      Then  it  seemed  to  her  that  the 

Saviour  came  to  her  and  said,  'M ,  what  aileth  thee?'_ 

She  told  Him  all  her  case,  and  He  soothed  and  comforted  her. 
From  that  time  she  began  to  improve ;  the  paroxysms  of  pain 
grew  less,  and  disappeared ;  her  nervousness  was  relieved, 
she  could  sleep,  her  mind  was  full  of  peace.  She  said,  '  I  am 
not  cured,  and  do  not  expect  to  be  well,  but  I  can  bear  what  I 
have  to  suffer,  and  am  willing  to  depart  whenever  it  is  the 
Lord's  will  to  take  me  away  to  himself.' " 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  129 

Prayer  for  a  Pair  of  Boots. 

Tn  the  Fall  of  1858,  H ,  a  student  in  the  Theological 

Seminary  at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  was  in  great  need  of  a  new  pair 
of  boots.  His  toes  were  sticking  out  of  his  old  ones,  and  he 
had  no  money  to  purchase  new  ones.  All  the  money  he  could 
command  was  barely  enough  to  pay  his  fare  to  his  home,  where 
he  had  promised  a  dear  friend  to  be  present  on  the  approach- 
ing communion  Sabbath. 

H was  a  man  of  great  faith,  and  was  accustomed  to 

carry  all  his  wants  to  God  in  prayer.  To  God  he  carried  the 
present  emergency,  and  earnestly  importuned  Him,  that  He 
would  send  him  a  pair  of  boots,  and  that  He  would  do  it  before, 
the  approaching  Sabbath.  He  was  persuaded  that  God  hearc!, 
and  would  answer  his  petition,  yet  his  faith  was  sorely  tried. 
Saturday  morning  came  and  still  there  was  no  answer ;  \\k 
resolved,  however,  to  go  to  his  home,  fully  persuaded  that  God! 
would  in  good  time  grant  his  request.  He  took  the  morning 
train  at  the  Princeton  depot,  and  resiched  home  about  eleven 
o'clock.  It  was  a  hard  trial  for  him  to  go  to  "  Preparatory 
Lecture  "  with  his  boots  in  the  condition  they  were  in  ;  yet 
at  two  o'clock  he  went,  still  prajdng  that  God  would  send  him 
a  new  pair  of  boots.  During  the  service,  a  merchant  in  the 
town  took  a  seat  in  the  ssame  pew  with  him,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  service,  without  a  word  being  spoken  on  the  subject, 

the  merchant,  after  shaking  hands  with  H and  inquiring 

of  his  welfare,  asked  him  if  he  would  do  him  the  favor  of 
going  down  town  to  a  certain  boot  and  shoe  store  and  select 
from  the  stock  as  good  a  pair  of  boots  as  he  could  find,  and, 
said  the  merchant,  "  have  them  charged  to  me."  It  was,  as 
H said  to  me  on  his  return  to  the  seminary,  a  direct  an- 
swer to  prayer.     Indeed,  it  might  be  said  of  H that  he 

went  through  college  and  seminary  on  prayer.  He  laid  all 
his  plans  before  God,  pleaded  his  promises,  and  never  was 
disappointed. 


130  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Under  Garments  in  Answer  to  Prayer. 

Among  the  students  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Prince- 
ton, N.  J.,  in    1860,  was  my  intimate  friend  L .      He 

was  at  the  time  poorly  clad,  but  was  a  devoted  Christian,  and 
is  at  present  a  successful  foreign  missionary. 

One  day  when  on  the  Seminary  campus,  I  heard  two  of  the 
students  very  thoughtlessly  criticising  the  exceeding  shabbi- 

ness  of  L 's  wearing  apparel,  his  short  pants,  old  shoes, 

and  socks  with  no  heels  in  them.     At  almost  every  step  L 

took  when  playing  ball,  his  bare  heels  could  be  seen.     That 

day,  after  evening  prayers,  I  took  L by  the  arm,  for  a 

walk  to  ''Orthodox  point,"  a  tree  about  a  mile  distant  from 
the  Seminary.  During  our  walk,  T  gently  told  him  of  the 
criticisms  I  had  heard,  and  learned  more  fully  than  I  had 
ever  done  of  his  destitution  of  wearing  apparel,  especially  of 
under  garments.  I  offered  him  a  share  of  mine,  or  the  loan  of 
money,  so  as  to  meet  his  present  wants,  but  this  he  declined  to 
receive,  saying,  that  he  ''  would  take  it  to  the  Lord  in  prayer," 
and  that  God  would  in  good  time  supply  all  his  wants.  I, 
too,  bore  his  case  to  the  throne  of  grace.  The  next  day  after 
this,  on  going  into  his  room,  he  laid  before  me  an  empty  en- 
velope, and  a  five  dollar  bill,  and  asked  me  the  question,  *'  Did 
you  throw  that  envelope  with  that  bill  in  it,  through  that 
ventilator  ?"  I  assured  him  that  I  did  not.  "  Well,"  said  he, 
"  when  I  came  in  from  recitation  a  short  time  ago,  I  found 
this  envelope  on  the  floor  and  that  five  dollar  bill  in  it.  It 
has  evidently  been  thrown  in  through  the  ventilator."  We 
both  recognized  God's  hand  in  the  provision  made  and  men- 
tally gave  thanks  to  our  Heavenly  Father.  Soon  after  this, 
'•'  a  missionary  box  "  was  sent  to  the  Seminary,  and  my  friend 
was  therefrom  well  supplied  with  under  garments.  Fre- 
quently afterward  did  he  say  to  me,  in  substance,  "  Prayer 
is  the  key  to  God's  treasury.  Trust  in  Him  and  the  Lord 
will  provide." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  131 

Unexpected  Relief. 

Henry  Badgerow  was  a  man  about  seventy  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  the  incident,  and  a  resident  of  Steuben  county. 
State  of  New  York.  This  was  in  the  year  about  A.  D.  1830- 
31.  He  had  been  for  many  years  an  invalid — so  much  so 
that  he  couldn't  walk — the  result  of  a  horse  running  away 
with  him.  In  a  forest,  isolated  from  neighbors,  the  old  man 
resided  alone  with  an  aged  wife.  They  were  quite  poor,  and 
wholly  dependent  upon  the  labor  of  a  son  who  worked  away 
from  home  for  others.  This  son  was  at  length  taken  sick 
with  a  fever,  and  unable  to  minister  to  his  parents'  wants. 
This  was  in  mid-winter,  when  storms  were  frequent  and 
the  snows  deep  and  lasting.  One  evening  when  the  storm 
was  at  its  highest,  this  old  couple  found  themselves  without  a 
particle  of  food  in  the  house.  Matters  were  desperate  with 
them.  They  could  see  but  starvation  staring  them  in  the 
face.  They  resolved  upon  prayer,  having  a  firm  trust  in 
their  Heavenly  Father,  whom  for  many  years  they  had  been 
humbly  serving.  They  did  not  retire,  but  continued  in  fer- 
vent prayer  that  God  would  send  them  food.  About  two  and 
a  half  miles  distant  lived  a  young  married  man  in  comforta- 
ble circumstances,  by  the  name  of  Joseph  Clason  (the  author 
of  the  story).  He  was  not  at  this  time  a  Christian,  although  it 
M  as  not  long  after  this  he  was  converted,  and  has  since  lived 
an  eminently  active  and  godly  life.  About  12  o'clock  on  the 
night  of  the  snow  storm  above  mentioned,  young  Clason  awoke. 
His  first  thoughts  were  of  old  Mr.  Badgerow  and  his  condi- 
tion in  that  storm.  His  mind  became  so  impressed  with  the 
thought  of  him,  and  so  wrought  upon  that  he  could  not  again 
go  to  sleep,  although  trying  so  to  do.  At  length  he  awak- 
ened his  wife,  told  her  that  he  was  in  trouble  about  Mr.  B., 
for  fear  he  and  his  wife  were  starving.  She  replied  that  if 
he  would  get  right  up  and  make  a  light,  she  would  prepare 
something,  and  that  he  had  better  take  it  right  down.  Young 
C.  did   so,  taking  with  him  a  pail   of   provisions.     After  a 


132  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

jaunt  through  the  storm  and  snow  in  the  dead  hour  of  night, 
he  reached  the  old  man's  cabin.  There  he  found  a  light 
burning.  He  knocked ;  the  door  was  opened  by  the  wife. 
The  old  man  was  fervently  praying;  but  when  he  saw  young 
C.  with  the  pail  of  provisions,  he  held  up  both  hands  and 
said,  "  Now  I  know  that  God  heareth  prayer.  Not  one- 
mouthful  have  we  in  the  house  to  eat.  I  know  that  God  sent 
you  here."  Young  C.  staid  with  the  old  couple  until  day- 
light. The  conversation  revealed  that  about  midnight  the 
old  man  perceiving  that  a  storm  had  arisen,  and  that  unless 
relief  came,  which  was  not  likely,  they  would  starve,  resolved 
to  appeal  to  his  Heavenly  Father,  saying  that  God  who  sent 
the  ravens  to  feed  Elijah  would  feed  him  if  he  went  to  him  in 
faith,  and  now  God  had  heard  his  prayer,  and  he  blessed  God 
that  he  could  do  so  in  all  trouble  and  trial. 

The  old  man  having  asked  C.  how  he  came  to  visit  them, 
he  replied  he  didn't  know,  but  supposed  God  had  sent  him,  as 
he  had  awoke  and  couldn't  again  sleep  on  account  of  thought 
of  him. 

The  incident  made  a  serious  and  lasting  impression  on 
young  C.'s  mind. 

In  the  morning,  as  C.  was  returning  home,  he  came  by  his 
father's  house ;  his  mother,  espying  his  pail,  wished  to  know 
where  he  had  been.  He  replied,  "To  feed  the  hungry."  His 
father  spreading  the  incident,  the  neighbors  all  turned  out  and 
brought  in  enough  provision  to  last  them  during  several  weeks, 
the  old  man  being  greatly  loved  and  respected  by  his  commu* 
nity  on  account  of  his  sterling  Christian  life  and  character. 

Mr.  Joseph  Clason  is  still  living,  now  seventy-five  years  of 
age,  in  Bazine,  Ness  county,  Kansas. 

That  Beautiful  Cliristiiias  G-ift.    Hew  the 
Lord  Used  it. 

A  lady  and  gentleman  were  walking  up  Madison  avenue, 
New  York  City,  from  church,  when  incidentally  tlie  lady  said. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 


133 


*'We  are  trying  to  get  up  Christmas  decorations  and  enter- 
tainment for  our  Mission  School." 

'^  Well,  put  my  name  down  for  anything  you  likey''  and 
then  came  into  his  mind  a  certain  sum  to  give. 

A  day  passed  on,  it  seemed  forgotten ;  but  a  note  from  the 
lady  reminded  him  of  his  promise,  and  he  responded,  giving 
the  exact  sum  originally  thought  of,  ^25.  Notice,  now,  the 
most  singular  disposition  of  it,  which,  by  the  hand  of  Provi- 
dence, was  made  to  go  on  its  circuitous  way  to  meet  those 
who  needed  it  most. 

The  next  Sabbath,  the  lady  and  gentleman  again  meeting 
each  other,  she  said,  "Your  gift  was  too  large.  I  cannot  take 
so  much  from  3^ou.     I  shall  give  you  back  part." 

"But  I  won't  take  it." 

"  Well,  3^ou  must.     I  can't  keep  it." 

It  resulted  in  the  lady  taking  $15  from  her  muff  and  forc- 
ing it  back  into  the  gentleman's  hand. 

The  gentleman  felt  badly.  "  I  intended  this  for  the  Lord, 
and  7101V  it  is  refused.  It  is  the  first  time  I  ever  heard  that 
money  ever  given  to  a  Sunday  school  ivas  not  luanted.  I 
meant  the  whole  for  the  Lord.  If  she  don't  want  it  and 
wont  keep  it,  I  will  give  the  rest  away.  It  does  not  belong  to 
me.^^  Before  night  he  had  enclosed  it  in  a  letter  and  sent  it 
out  of  the  city  to  an  invalid  as  a  Christmas  j^resent.  He  had 
occasion  not  long  after  to  visit  the  invalid,  and  was  fairly  as- 
tonished at  the  extraordinary  circumstances  connected  with 
its  use ;  and  this  is  his  story,  told  in  his  letter  to  the  lady 
who  returned  the  $15. 

"The  sequel  to  the  $15  is  far  more  beautiful  and  wonder- 
ful than  anything  I  have  ever  known.  This  invalid  had  been 
praying  for  some  money  for  a  needed  article  of  dress  to  pro- 
tect her  from  cold.  The  $15  ca77ie  the  very  next  morning  in 
ansiver  to  her  prayer.  But  it  vms  more  than  enough.  As  a 
consistent  Christian,  having  asked  the  Lord  only  for  enough 
to  meet  but  one  need,  she  felt  as  if  the  rest  belonged  to  the 
Lord  and  must  be  used  for  Him.     So  in  wondering  how  to  use 


134  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

it,  she  thought  of  a  poor  woman  who  needed  a  new  calico 
dress,  and  at  once  bought  it  and  gave  it  to  her.  She  had  but 
$5  left.  A  dear  friend  was  in  distress;  his  horse  and  carriage 
bad  been  seized  for  failure  to  pay  the  livery  bill  of  their  keep- 
ing ;  he  could  not  collect  any  money  of  the  debts  due  him,  to 
pay  his  bill,  and  had  nothing.  His  wife  and  children  were  in 
New  Britain,  and  here  he  was,  no  means  to  get  there.  The 
little  Christian  invalid  sent  him  her  $5,  the  last  money  she 
had,  not  knowing  where  her  next  was  to  come  from,  with 
these  words  :  '*  TJte  Lord  has  sent  you  this,''  and  though  he 
offered  to  return,  or  use  only  part,  she  said,  "  Ko,  the  Lord 
meant  this  for  you.  You  must  keep  it,  I  will  not  take  it 
back."  Now  see  how  beautifully  all  these  incidents  have 
been  made  to  work  for  the  good  of  many,  by  the  managing 
hand  of  Providence. 

'•  My  original  gift  of  $25  to  you  was  more  than  enough. 
You  did  not  need  it  all  for  your  Sunday-school,  and  the  Lord 
made  you  force  back  the  ^15  upon  me.  I  could  not  keep  it, 
because  I  felt  it  belonged  to  the  Lord.  So  I  sent  it  to  the 
little  invalid. 

"  She,  too,  had  only  needed  a  part,  and  used  only  what  she 
asked  the  Lord  for,  and  then  she,  in  her  turn,  gave  the  rest 
away.  The  most  Monderful  part  of  it  is,  that  the  money  you 
gave  back  to  me,  and  I  gave  to  the  Lord,  was  three-fifths  of 
the  amount  you  received,  and  the  money  the  little  invalid  gave 
away  ifo  ^/^e  iortZ  was  also  tlireefiftlis  the  amount  shereceived. 
The  money  xvhich  you  kejyt  for  your  use  was  just  twofifthsy 
and  the  unoney  that  the  invalid  kept  for  her  own  use  was  just 
tivo fifths  also.  The  very  next  day  after  she  had  given  her 
money  away,  a  lady  called  and  gave  her  some  mone}",  which 
was  precisely  the  same  amount  which  tjie poor  woman's  cal- 
ico dress  had  cost,  (though  she  knew  nothing  of  the  circum- 
stances), and  in  return  for  the  $5  which  she  gave  her  friend 
in  distress,  and  refused  to  take  back,  the  Lord  remembered 
her  and  gave  her  a  eood  home. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  135 

The  Widow's  'Wood  and  Flour.— The  Un- 
believing Ones  Made  Speechless. 

The  following  instance  is  known  to  The  Christian  as  true, 
and  to  a  remarkable  degree  indicates  how  thoroughly  God 
knows  our  minutest  needs,  and  how  effectively  He  makes 
those  who  ever  reproach  his  name  ashamed  of  their  unbelief. 

"  A  friend  and  relative  of  the  one  who  was  'a  widow  in- 
deed/ one  who  trusted  in  God,  and  continued  in  supplications 
and  prayers  day  and  night,  was  once  brought  into  circum- 
stances of  peculiar  straitness  and  trial.  She  had  two  daugh- 
ters who  exerted  themselves  with  their  needles  to  earn  a  live- 
lihood ;  and  at  that  time  they  were  so  busily  engaged  in  try- 
ing to  finish  some  work  that  had  long  been  on  their  hands, 
they  had  neglected  to  make  provision  for  their  ordinary  wants 
until  they  found  themselves  one  Winter's  day  in  the  midst  of 
a  New  England  snow  storm,  with  food  and  fuel  almost  ex- 
hausted, at  a  distance  from  neighbors,  and  without  any 
means  of  procuring  needful  sustenance. 

"  The  daughters  began  to  be  alarmed,  and  were  full  of  anx- 
iety at  the  dismal  prospect,  but  the  good  old  mother  said, 
'Don't  worry,  girls,  the  Lord  will  provide;  we  have  enough 
for  to-day,  and  to-morrow  may  be  pleasant,'  and  in  this  hope 
the  girls  settled  down  again  to  their  labor. 

"Another  morning  came,  and  with  it  no  sunshine,  but  wind 
and  snow  in  abundance.  The  storm  still  raged,  but  no  one 
came  near  the  house,  and  all  was  dark  and  dismal  without. 

"  Noon  came,  and  the  last  morsel  of  food  was  eaten,  the  wind 
was  almost  gone,  and  there  were  no  tokens  of  any  relief  for 
their  necessities. 

"  The  girls  became  much  distressed,  and  talked  anxiously  of 
their  condition,  but  the  good  mother  said,  ^  Don't  worry, 
the  Lord  will  provide.' 

''But  they  had  heard  that  story  the  day  before,  and  they 
knew  not  the  strong  foundation  upon  which  that  mother's 
trust  was  builded,  and  could  not  share  the  confidence  she  felt. 


136 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 


"  'If  we  get  anything  to-day  the  Lord  will  have  to  bring  it 
himself,  for  nobody  else  can  get  here  if  they  try/  said  one 
of  the  daughters,  impatiently,  but  the  mother  said,  'Don't 
worry/  And  so  they  sat  down  again  to  their  sewing,  the 
daughters  to  muse  upon  their  necessitous  condition,  and  the 
mother  to  roll  her  burden  on  the  Everlasting  Arms." 

Now  mark  the  way  in  which  the  Lord  came  to  their  rescue, 
and  just  at  this  moment  of  extremity,  put  it  into  the  heart  of 
one  of  his  children  to  go  and  carry  relief.  Human  Nature 
at  such  a  time  would  never  have  ventured  out  in  such  a  storm, 
but  waited  for  a  pleasant  day.  But  Divine  Wisdom  and  power 
made  him  carry  just  what  was  needed^  in  the  face  of  adverse 
circiunstances,  a7id  just  at  the  time  it  was  needed. 

"  Mr.  M.  sat  at  his  fireside,  about  a  mile  away,  surrounded 
by  every  bounty  and  comfort  needed  to  cheer  his  heart,  with 
his  only  daughter  sitting  by  his  side. 

"  For  a  long  time  not  a  word  had  been  spoken,  and  he  had 
seemed  lost  in  silent  meditation,  till  at  length  he  said,  'Mary, 
I  want  you  to  go  and  order  the  cattle  yoked,  and  then  get  me 
a  bag.     I  must  go  and  carry  some  wood  and  flour  to  sister  C 

"  '  Why,  Father,  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  go.  There  is  no 
track,  and  it  is  all  of  a  mile  up  there.  You  would  almost 
perish.' 

"  The  old  man  sat  in  silence  a  few  moments  and  said,  '  Mary, 
I  must  go.'  She  knew  her  father  too  well  to  suppose  that 
words  would  detain  him,  and  so  complied  with  his  wishes. 
While  she  held  the  bag  for  him,  she  felt  perhaps  a  little  un- 
easiness to  see  the  flour  so  liberally  disposed  of,  and  said,  '  I 
wish  you  would  remember  that  I  want  to  give  a  poor  woman 
some  flour,  if  it  ever  clears  off.'  The  old  man  understood  the 
intimation  and  said,  '  Mary,  give  all  you  feel  it  duty  to,  and 
when  the  Lord  says  stop,  I  will  do  so.' 

"  Soon  all  things  were  ready,  and  the  patient  oxen  took  their 
way  to  the  widow's  home,  wallowing  through  the  drifted  snow, 
and  dragging  the  sled  with  its  load  of  wood  and  flour.  About 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  mother  had  arisen  from  her 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  137 

work  to  fix  the  fire,  and,  looking  out  of  the  window,  she  saw 
the  oxen  at  the  door,  and  she  knew  that  the  Lord  had  heard 
her  cry. 

"  She  said  not  a  word — why  should  she  ?  She  was  not  sur- 
prised ! — but,  presently,  a  heavy  step  at  the  threshold  caused 
the  daughters  to  look  up  with  astonishment,  as  Mr.  M.  strode 
unceremoniously  into  the  room,  saying,  ^The  Lord  told  me, 
Sister  C,  that  you  wanted  some  wood  and  flour.'' 

''  ^He  told  you  the  truth,''  said  the  widow,  '  and  I  will  praise 
Him  forever.' 

*^ '  What  think  you  now  girls  ? '  she  continued,  as  she 
turned  in  solemn  joy  to  her  unbelieving  daughters. 

'^They  luere  speechless  ;  not  a  word  escaped  their  lips  ;  but 
they  pondered  that  new  revelation  of  the  providential  mercy 
of  the  Lord,  until  it  made  upon  their  minds  an  impression 
never  to  be  effaced. 

''  From  that  hour  they  learned  to  trust  in  Him  who  cares  for 
His  needy  in  the  hour  of  distress,  and  who,  from  His  bound- 
less stores,  supplies  the  wants  of  those  who  trust  in  Him." 

A  Pair  of  Shoes.— The  Lord's  Rebuke  to 
those  who  ''  Didn't  Believe." 

The  following  incident  occurred  in  Connecticut :  In  an 
humble  cottage  two  sisters  were  watching  over  and  caring 
for  a  much-loved  brother,  who,  for  many  long  months  had 
been  upon  a  bed  of  sickness.  At  length,  the  younger  oi 
them  began  to  be  discouraged.  She  was  dependent,  for  her 
clothing,  upon  her  labor ;  her  shoes  were  worn  out,  and 
how  should  she  get  another  pair,  unless  she  could  leave  the 
sick  bed  and  go  away  from  home  and  work  and  earn  some 
money. 

"  Well,"  said  the  mother,  "  I  know  you  need  a  pair  of 
shoes,  but  don't  worry,  the  Lord  will  provide." 

"Z>o  you  think  that  the  Lord  tvill  come  doion  from 
heaven  and  buy  me  a  pair  of  shoes  ?  "  said  the  younger  sis- 


138  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

ter,  with  an  expression  of  discouragement  and  vexation  ors 
her  countenance. 

'^  No,"  said  the  mother,  ^'  but  perhaps  he  will  put  it  into 
somebody's  heart  to  buy  you  a  pair." 

"  Perhaps  He  will,  hut  I  don't  believe  it/'  said  the  discour- 
aged girl. 

"  Well,"  said  the  other  sister,  who  was  a  little  more  hope- 
ful, "  you  won't  get  them  any  quicker  by  fretting,  so  you 
might  as  well  be  quiet."  Then  the  subject  dropped  and  the 
day  passed  as  usual. 

As  the  shades  of  evening  were  gathering,  a  brother  who 
lived  at  some  distance,  and  who  knew  nothing  of  their  pre- 
vious conversation,  called  to  inquire  after  their  prosperity. 
After  the  customary  salutations,  he  said,  "  You  have  been  sick 
here  a  long  time,  and  I  thought  I  would  come  round  and  see 
if  I  could  not  do  something  for  you  ;  thought  perhaps  by 
this  time  the  girls  needed  something."  Then  turning  to  the 
younger  sister,  he  said,  "  How  is  it,  aren't  your  shoes  tcorn 
out?" 

She  dropped  her  eyes,  blushed  deeply,  and,  perhaps,  a  little 
conscience-smitten,  answered  not  a  word.  Nothing  was  said 
of  the  previous  conversation,  though  it  was  not  forgotten  by 
those  who  heard  it.  The  brother  soon  saw  for  himself  enough 
to  satisfy  him,  and  said  no  more,  but  went  away.  The  next 
day  tivo  pairs  of  shoes  were  sent  around  to  her,  and  with 
them  came  to  her  heart  a  lesson  which  she  never  forgot. 

She  lived  many  years  after  that,  but  was  never  heard  to 
murmur  in  that  way  again,  and  often  said  that  the  two  pairs 
of  shoes  taught  her  to  ivait,  hope  and  trust,  and  thereby  learn 
implicit  confidence  in  Him  who  sendeth  all  blessings.  The 
last  time  she  alluded  to  the  occurrence,  she  said,  "  Iivas  speech- 
less then,  hut  J  by  the  grace  of  God,  I  will  not  he  in  the  world 
to  comey 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  139 

The  Lame  Healed. 

Rev.  Charles  G.  Finney,  during  his  life-time,  was  familiar 
with  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  remarkable  heal- 
ing of  a  sick  lady  in  Oberlin,  0.,  the  wife  of  Rev.  R.  D.  Mil- 
ler, and  these  facts  were  vouched  for  as  unquestionably  au- 
thentic.    Mr.  Finney  says : 

"  Mrs.  Miller  is  the  wife  of  a  Congregational  minister,  and 
a  lady  of  unquestionably  veracity.  However  the  fact  of  her 
healing  is  to  be  accounted  for,  her  story  is  no  doubt  worthy 
of  §ntire  confidence,  as  we  have  known  her  for  years  as  a 
lame,  suffering  invalid,  and  now  see  her  in  our  midst  in  sound 
health.  This  instantaneous  restoration  will  be  accounted  for 
by  different  persons  in  different  ways.  Mrs.  Miller  and  those 
who  were  present  regard  the  healing  as  supernatural  and  a 
direct  answer  to  prayer.  The  facts  must  speak  for  them- 
selves. Why  should  not  the  sick  be  healed  in  answer  to  the 
prayer  of  faith  ?  Unbelief  can  discredit  them,  but  faith  sees 
nothing  incredible  in  such  facts  as  are  stated  by  Mrs.  Miller. 
Mrs,  Miller's  own  statement  is  as  follows,  and  it  is  fully 
endorsed  by  the  most  reliable  citizens  and  members  of  the 
First  church  at  Oberlin  : 

"  From  my  parents  I  inherited  a  constitution  subject  to  a 
chronic  form  of  rheumatism.  In  early  life  I  was  attacked 
with  rheumatic  weaknesses  and  pains,  which  affected  my 
whole  system.  For  nearly  forty  years  I  was  subject  to  more 
or  less  suffering  from  this  cause,  sometimes  unable  to  attend 
meeting  for  months  at  a  time.  For  seven  years,  until  the  last 
three  months,  I  have  been  unable  to  get  about  without  the 
aid  of  crutch  or  staff,  generally  both.  I  have  used  many  lin- 
iments and  remedies,  but  with  no  permanently  good  result. 
I  have  been  a  Christian  from  early  life,  but  last  Spring,  in 
our  revival,  I  received  a  spiritual  refreshing  from  the  Lord, 
which  gave  a  new  impulse  to  my  faith.  Since  then  my  relig- 
ion has  been  a  new  life  to  me. 

"Last  Summer,  several  of  us  Christian  sisters  were  in  the 


140  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

habit  of  spending  short  seasons  of  prayer  together,  that  the 
Lord  would  send  us  a  pastor.  Some  of  our  number  had  read 
the  narrative  of  Dorothea  Trudel,  and  had  spoken  to  me  on 
the  subject  of  healing  in  answer  to  prayer.  My  faith  had 
not  then  risen  to  this  elevation.  I  had  in  fact  accepted  what 
I  supposed  to  be  the  will  of  God,  and  made  up  my  mind  to 
be  a  lame  and  suffering  invalid  the  rest  of  my  life.  I  had 
long  since  ceased  to  use  remedies  for  the  restoration  of  my 
health,  and  had  not  even  thought  of  praying  in  regard  to  it, 
for  I  regarded  it  as  the  will  of  God  that  I  should  suffer  in 
silent  submission. 

"Notwithstanding  what  had  been  said  to  me,  I  remained  in 
this  opinion  and  in  this  attitude  until  the  26th  of  September, 
1872,  when  several  ladies  met  at  our  house,  by  appointment, 
for  a  prayer-meeting.  I  had  been  growing  worse  for  some 
time,  and  was  at  that  time  unable  to  get  out  to  attend  a 
meeting.  I  was  suffering  much  pain  that  afternoon  ;  indeed, 
I  was  hardly  able  to  be  out  of  my  bed.  Up  to  this  time  none 
of  the  sisters  who  had  conversed  with  me  about  the  subject 
of  healing  by  faith,  had  been  able  to  tell  me  anything  from 
their  own  experience.  That  afternoon,  one  lady  was  present 
who  could  speak  to  me  from  her  own  experience  of  being 
healed  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  faith.  She  related  several 
striking  instances  in  which  her  prayers  had  been  answered 
in  the  removal  of  divers  forms  of  disease  to  which  she  was 
subject.  She  also  repeated  a  number  of  passages  of  Scripture, 
which  clearly  justified  the  expectation  of  being  healed  in 
answer  to  the  prayer  of  faith.  She  also  said  that  Jesus  had 
shown  her  that  he  was  just  as  ready  to  heal  diseases  now  as 
he  was  when  on  earth  ;  that  such  healing  was  expressly 
promised  in  Scripture,  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  faith,  and 
that  it  was  nowhere  taken  back.  These  facts,  reasonings, 
and  passages  of  Scripture,  made  a  deep  impression  on  my 
mind,  and,  for  the  first  time,  I  found  myself  able  to  believe 
tliat  Jesus  would  heal  me  in  answer  to  prayer.  She  asked 
me  if   I  could  join  my  faith  with  hers  and  ask  for  present 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  141 

healing.  I  told  her  I  felt  that  I  could.  We  then  knelt,  and 
called  upon  the  Lord.  She  offered  a  mighty  prayer  to  God^ 
and  I  followed.  While  she  was  leading  in  prayer  I  felt  a 
quickening  in  my  whole  being,  whereupon  my  pain  subsided, 
and  when  we  rose  from  prayer  I  felt  that  a  great  change  had 
come  over  me,  that  I  was  cured.  I  found  that  I  could  walk- 
without  my  staff  or  crutch,  or  any  assistance  from  any  one. 
Since  then  my  pains  have  never  returned  ;  I  have  more  than 
my  youthful  vigor  ;  I  walk  with  more  ease  and  rapidity  than 
I  ever  did  in  my  life,  and  I  never  felt  so  fresh  and  young  as 
I  now  do,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two. 

"Now,  the  hundred  and  third  psalm  is  my  psalm,  and  my 
youth  is  more  than  renewed,  like  the  eagle's.  I  cannot  ex- 
press the  constant  joy  of  my  heart  for  the  wonderful  healing 
of  my  soul  and  body.  I  feel  as  if  I  was  every  whit  made 
whole." 

The  testimony  of  eye-witnesses  to  this  healing  is  as  follows : 
"  We  were  all  present  at  the  time  of  the  healing,  and  know 
the  facts  to  be  true.  We  are  all  Christians,  and  have  no 
interest  in  deceiving  anybody,  and  would  by  no  means  dis- 
honor God  by  stating  more  than  the  exact  truth.  Since  the 
healing,  Mrs.  Miller  is  still  with  us,  and  in  excellent  healthy 
Neither  the  severe  cold  of  last  Winter,  nor  the  extreme  heat 
of  this  Summer,  has  at  all  injured  her  health.  From  our  first 
acquaintance  with  her,  she  has  been  so  lame  as  to  be  unable 
to  walk,  except  by  the  aid  of  crutches.  Since  which  time 
she  has  been  able  to  walk  without  help,  and  appears  perfectly 
well." 

Her  husband,  also  adding  his  testimony,  says : 
"  She  has  been  unable  to  walk  without  crutches  for  a  series 
of  years.  A  long  time  ago,  we  tried  many  remedies  and  phy- 
sicians, with  no  lasting  good  results,  and  were  expecting  she 
would  remain  an  invalid.  Of  late,  she  had  applied  no  remedy, 
nor  taken  any  medicine.  At  the  time  of  her  cure,  she  was 
much  worse  than  for  a  long  while  before,  being  in  great  pain 
continually,  until  the  moment  she  fully  believed,  and,  m  an 


142  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

instant,  she  was  restored  to  perfect  soundness.  From  that 
moment  to  this  she  has  not  felt  a  particle  of  her  former  com- 
plaint. 

"  She  can  now  walk  for  miles  as  fast  as  I  wish  to,  without 
feeling  very  much  fatigue,  does  all  her  own  housework,  and 
attends  seven  meetings  during  the  week.  In  short,  she  is 
stronger,  and  seems  as  young  and  spry,  as  when  we  were 
married,  thirty-two  years  ago.  The  work  of  the  dear  Savior 
in  her  curr  seems  to  be  perfect,  and  she  is  an  astonishment 
to  all  who  knew  her  before  and  see  her  now.  To  His  name 
be  all  the  praise. 

'^Another  lady,  the  same  week  my  wife  was  healed,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Congregational  Church,  confined  to  her  bed 
with  a  complicated  disease,  was  prayed  for,  and  restored  at 
once  to  soundness." 


The  Wonderful  Cure  of  Mrs.  Sherman. 

Although  there  are  so  many  cases  of  healing  in  answer  to 
prayer,  yet  the  incident  of  the  healing  of  Mrs.  Sherman  is 
so  minute,  and  resulted  in  such  a  radical  change  of  the  phys- 
ical constitution,  that  it  is  necessary  to  relate  it  in  full  detail. 
It  is  too  well  proven  to  admit  the  possibility  of  a  doubt. 

"  Mrs.  Ellen  Sherman  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  Moses  Sherman, 
•and,  at  the  time  of  this  occurrence,  in  1873,  they  were  resi- 
dents of  Piermont,  N.  H.  She  had  been  an  invalid  for  many 
years.  In  the  Winter  after  she  was  fifteen,  she  fell  on  the  ice 
and  hurt  her  left  knee,  so  that  it  became  weak  and  easy  to 
slip  out  of  joint.  Six  years  after,  she  fell  again  on  the  same 
knee,  so  twisting  it  and  injuring  the  ligaments  that  it  became 
partially  stiff,  and,  the  physician  said,  incurable. 

"The  next  Summer,  by  very  fast  walking,  one  day,  she 
brought  on  special  weakness,  which  no  physician  was  able  to 
cure.  From  that  moment  she  was  subject  to  severe  neural- 
gia, sick-headaches,  at  least  monthly,  and  sometimes  even 
weekly. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  143 

''In  December,  1859,  while  stepping  out  of  doors,  she 
slipped,  by  reason  of  her  stiff  joint,  and  fell,  striking  near 
the  base  of  the  spine,  directly  across  the  sharp  edge  of  the 
stone  step.  This  caused  such  a  sickness  that  she  was  obliged 
to  leave  the  school  she  was  attending. 

''  Three  years  after  (in  January,  1862),  she  fell  at  the  top 
of  a  stairway,  striking  just  as  before,  and  sliding  all  the  way 
down  to  the  foot.  This  nearly  paralyzed  the  spinal  cord,  and 
-caused  deep  and  permanent  spinal  disease.  After  this  she 
was  up  and  down  for  many  years,  attended  by  various  physi- 
cians, yet  nothing  bettered,  but,  rather,  growing  worse.  It 
may  be  said,  for  short,  that  every  organ  of  the  lower  body 
became  chronically  diseased,  and  that  the  headaches  increased 
in  violence. 

"  In  September,  1872,  through  a  severe  cold,  she  took  her 
bed,  where  she  lay,  except  when  lifted  from  it,  till  the  night 
of  August  27,  1873.  She  was  unable  to  walk  a  step,  or 
even  stand.  She  could  sit  up  only  a  short  time  without  great 
distress.  The  best  medical  skill  that  could  be  procured  gave 
only  temporary  relief.  The  spine  grew  worse  in  spite  of  every 
appliance,  and  the  nervous  sensitiveness  and  prostration  were 
increasing.  During  the  two  or  three  weeks  immediately  pre- 
ceding her  cure  she  was  especially  helpless,  two  persons  being 
required  to  lift  her  off  and  on  the  bed.  On  the  Monday 
before,  one  of  her  severest  neuralgia  sick-headaches  came  on. 
During  Wednesday  she  began  to  be  relieved,  but  was  still  so 
sick  that  when,  in  the  evening,  she  tried  to  have  her  clothes 
changed,  she  could  only  endure  the  change  of  her  night-dress." 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  her  utter  physical  helplessness,  and 
not  the  slightest  hope  of  any  amelioration.  During  the  night 
of  August  27th,  she  enjoyed  a  blessed  time  of  communion 
with  her  Lord,  giving  herself,  in  all  her  helplessness,  wholly 
to  Him  to  do  as  he  wills. 

With  feelings  beyond  all  expression,  she  felt  the  nearness 
of  her  mighty  Savior,  and  the  sense  of  receiving  a  new  and 
most  delicious  pulsation  of  new  life.     At  last,  though  she  had 


144  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

been  bed-ridden  for  twelve  months,  and  incapable  of  any  bod- 
ily assistance,  she  felt  an  uncontrollable  impulse  to  throw  off 
the  clothes  of  the  bed  with  her  left  arm,  and  sprang  out  of 
bed  upon  her  feet,  and  started  to  walk  across  the  room. 

"Her  husband's  first  thought  was  that  she  was  crazed,  and 
would  fall  to  the  floor,  and  he  sprang  towards  her  to  help  her. 
But  she  put  up  her  hands  against  him,  saying  with  great 
energy,  '  Don't  you  touch  me  !  Don't  you  touch  me  ! '  and 
went  walking  back  and  forth  across  the  room  speaking  rap- 
idly, and  declaring  the  work  which  Jesus  had  been  working 
upon  her. 

"  Her  husband  quickly  saw  that  she  w^as  in  her  right  mind^ 
and  had  been  healed  by  the  Lord,  and  his  soul  was  filled  with 
unutterable  emotion. 

''  One  of  the  women  of  the  household  was  called,  also  their 
son,  twelve  years  old,  and  together  they  thanked  God  for  the 
great  and  blessed  wonder  he  had  wrought. 

'^In  the  morning,  after  a  sleep  of  several  hours,  she  further 
examined  herself  to  see  if  entirely  healed,  and  found  both 
knees  perfectlj^  well ;  and  though  for  sixteen  jesirs  she  had  not 
been  able  to  use  either,  now  she  lifted  the  leitfoot  and  ^9w^  if 
upon  the  right  knee,  thus  proving  the  completeness  of  her  res- 
toration. 

"At  the  end  of  two  years  from  her  healing,  inquir}^  having 
been  made  as  to  how  thorough  had  been  the  work,  Mrs.  Sher- 
man gave  full  and  abundant  evidence.  '  I  cannot  remember 
a  Summer  when  I  have  been  so  healthy  and  strong,  and  able 
to  work  hard.  I  am  a  constant  wonder  to  myself,  and  to  oth- 
ers, and  have  been  for  the  two  years  past.  The  cure  exceeded 
my  highest  expectations  at  the  time  I  was  cured.  I  did  not 
look  forward  to  such  a  state  of  vigor  and  strength.  No  words 
can  express  my  joy  and  gratitude  for  all  this.' 

"The  parents  of  Mrs.  Sherman  also  testify  of  the  wonderful 
change  physically  which  occurred  with  the  cure. 

"Before,  her  appetite  was  always  disordered,  but  on  the 
very  morning  of  the  healing  it  was  wholly  changed,  and  her 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  145 

food,  which  distressed  her  formerly,  she  ate  with  a  relish  and 
without  any  pain  following  ;  and  she  so  continues.  For  years 
before  a  natural  action  of  the  bowels  was  rare.  From  that  day 
since,  an  unnatural  one  is  equally  rare. 

"For  fifteen  years,  with  few  exceptions,  she  had  had  severe 
neuralgic  sick  headaches  monthly  or  oftener.  From  that 
time  she  has  been  natural  and  without  pain,  with  no  return 
of  the  headaches,  except  a  comparatively  slight  one  once, 
from  overdoing  and  a  cold  taken  through  carelessness. 

"There  was  also  at  that  time  an  immediate  and  radical 
change  in  the  action  of  the  kidneys,  which  had  become  a 
source  of  great  trouble  before.  Moreover  the  knee  which 
had  been  partially  stiff  for  so  many  years  was  made  entirely 
well.  In  fine,  her  body,  which  had  been  so  full  of  pain,  be- 
came at  once  free  from  pain,  and  full  of  health. 

"  The  week  after  she  was  healed  she  went  fifty  miles  to 
attend  a  camp. meeting,  riding  five  miles  in  a  carriage,  the 
rest  by  cars.  A  near  neighbor  said,  '  She  will  come  back 
worse  than  ever.'  Though  the  weather  was  especially  bad, 
she  came  back  better  than  when  she  went." 

These  are  but  few  out  of  many  expressions  respecting 
her  extraordinary  recover}^,  which  fully  satisfy  the  believing 
Christian  that  tlie  Great  Physician  is  with  us  now,  "  heaUnrj 
the  lame,^''  and  curing  the  sick.  It  is  faith  only,  unyielding, 
which  the  Lord  requires  ere  he  gives  his  richest  blessing. 

The  unbelieving  one  simply  sees  in  it  ^'something  strange.,'^ 
which  he  can  not  understand,  but  the  faith-keeping  Chxis- 
tian  knows  it  is  the  sign  of  his  Precious  Lord,  in  whom  he 
trusts  and  abides  forever. 


Dr.   Newman    Hall's   Testimonies  to  tlio 
Value  of  Prayer. 

Dr.  Newman  Hall,  of  London,  in  his  wide  expexience  has 
met  with  many  incidents  of  answered  prayer,  and  thus  relates 
several : 

10 


14G  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

A  Prayer  for  Thirty  Pounds. 

"On  a  recent  evangelizing  visit  to  Newport,  one  of  its  cit- 
izens said  to  me,  '  In  yonder  house  dwell  a  man  and  wife,  who 
recently  needed  a  sum  of  £30  to  meet  some  payment  the  next 
morning.  Having  failed  in  their  efforts  to  collect  it,  they 
earnestly  prayed  God  to  provide  it.  The  store  was  being 
closed  for  the  night  when  a  sea-captain  knocked  at  the  door 
and  asked  for  some  seamen's  clothes.  The  gas  was  relighted, 
and  various  articles  were  selected  ;  the  purchaser  then  asked 
for  the  account,  and  the  money  was  paid — a  little  more  than 
£30.  The  man  and  his  wife  thanked  their  Heavenly  Father 
for  sending  it  in  this  way  in  answer  to  prayer.'  " 

Recovery  from  Dangerous  Illness. 

Br.  Newman  Hall  was  once  visiting,  on  his  dying  bed, 
John  Cranfield,  son  of  the  great  originator  of  ragged  schools, 
under  the  ministry  of  Rowland  Hill. 

"  We  were  conversing  on  prayer.  He  said,  '  A  remarkable 
instance  occurred  in  connection  with  my  father.  The  former 
organist  of  Surry  Chapel,  Mr.  Howard,  was  dangerously  ill. 
He  was  greatly  beloved,  and  his  friends  met  for  special  prayer 
that  God  would  spare  his  life.  My  father  on  that  occasion 
was  remarkably  earnest  in  asking  that  the  life  of  his  friend 
might  be  lengthened,  as  in  the  case  of  Hezekiah.  The  next 
day  he  began  to  recover  ;  and  during  fifteen  years  was  a  bless- 
ing to  his  friends  and  the  church.' " 

A  Sunday  School  Teacher  in  Distress. 

"  My  brother,"  says  Dr.  Hall,  "  told  me  that  when  super- 
intendent of  a  Sunday  school  he  felt  a  strong  impulse,  one 
Saturday  evening,  to  call  at  the  home  of  one  of  his  teachers 
whom  he  had  never  visited  before.  He  found  his  mother  and 
sisters  in  such  evident  distress  that  he  inquired  the  cause. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  147 

With  much  reluctance  they  explained  that,  being  unable  to 
pay  their  taxes,  their  goods  were  to  be  taken  on  the  coming 
Monday,  and  they  had  been  asking  special  help  from  God  to 
save  them  from  a  disaster  which  they  felt  would  be  a  dis- 
honor to  religion.  By  the  aid  of  a  few  friends  the  difficulty 
was  at  once  met,  but  the  timely  succor  was  regarded  as  the 
divine  answer  to  their  prayer." 

Kescued  in  Peril. 

"  With  my  brother  I  was  once  climbing  the  Cirrha  diJazze^ 
one  of  the  mountains  in  the  chain  of  Mount  Rosa.  When 
nearly  at  the  top,  we  entered  a  dense  fog.  Presently  our 
guides  faced  right  about  and  grounded  their  axes  on  the 
frozen  snowed  slope.  My  brother,  seeing  the  slope  still 
beyond,  and  not  knowing  it  was  merely  the  cornice  overhang- 
ing a  precipice  of  several  thousand  feet,  rushed  onward.  I 
shall  never  forget  their  cry  of  agonized  warning.  He  stood 
ti  moment  on  the  very  summit,  and  then,  the  snow  yielding, 
he  began  to  fall  through.  One  of  the  guides,  at  great  risk, 
had  rushed  after  him,  and  seizing  him  by  the  coat,  drew  him 
down  to  a  place  of  safety. 

"  No  one  could  be  nearer  death  and  yet  escape.  On  Ws 
return  home,  an  invalid  member  of  his  congregation  told  him 
that  she  had  been  much  in  prayer  for  his  safety,  and  men- 
tioned a  special  time  when  she  was  particularly  earnest,  as  if 
imploring  deliverance  from  some  great  peril.  The  times  corre- 
sponded.    His  life  was  saved  in  answer  to  her  prayer." 

A  Physical  Impediment  Removed. 

*^  A  clergyman,  of  great  scholarship  and  genius,  has  told 
me  of  a  remarkable  answer  to  prayer,  authenticated  by  three 
missionaries  known  to  himself,  who  are  personally  acquainted 
with  the  facts. 

''  A  Prussian,  the  master  of  a  hotel  in  India,  was  anxious 


148  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

to  relinquish  his  large  income,  and  labor  as  a  missionary 
among  the  Santil  tribes.  Objection  was  made  to  him  on 
account  of  an  impediment  in  his  speech  which  would  render 
him,  in  speaking  a  foreign  language,  incapable  of  being  under- 
stood.  Believing  in  the  efficacy  of  prayer,  he  called  together 
his  friends,  specially  to  ask  that  his  impediment  might  be 
removed.  The  next  morning,  he  presented  himself  again  at 
the  Mission  House — the  impediment  had  gone  !  He  was  ac- 
cepted, relinquished  his  business,  and  is  now  preaching  the 
gospel  to  the  Santils  in  their  own  tongue." 

Restoration  from  Death. 

^^  My  father,  the  author  of  the  Sinner'' s  Friend,  narrates  in 
his  autobiography  a  circumstance  which  he  often  used  to 
speak  of  with  great  emotion. 

"My  mother  was  very  ill,  and  apparently  dying.  The 
Doctor  said  that  now,  if  at  all,  the  children  might  be  brought 
for  her  to  look  at  them  once  more.  One  by  one  we  were 
brought  to  the  bedside,  and  her  hand  was  placed  on  our  heads. 

"  Then  my  father  bade  her  farewell,  and  she  lay  motionless 
as  if  soon  to  breathe  her  last. 

"  He  then  said  to  himself,  '  There  is  yet  one  promise  I  have 
not  pleaded,  "  If  ye  ask  anything  in  my  name  I  will  do  it.'' 
He  stepped  aside,  and  in  an  agony  of  soul  exclamed,  ^0, 
Lord,  for  the  honor  of  thy  dear  Son,  give  me  the  life  of  my 
wife  ! ' 

"  He  could  say  no  more,  and  sank  down  exhausted.  Just 
then  the  nurse  called  him  to  the  bedside  saying,  ^She  has 
opened  her  mouth  again  as  if  for  food.'  Nourishment  was 
given,  and  from  that  time  she  began  to  recover.  The  doctor 
said  it  was  miraculous.  My  father  said  it  was  God,  who  had 
heard  his  prayer." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  149 

The  Help  of  the  Lord  in  Little  Things. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Patton,  of  Chicago,  in  receiving  many  letters 
from  clergymen,  received  one  from  Mr.  F.,  a  pastor  in  Mas- 
sachusetts. 

In  it  he  speaks  of  his  unsuccessful  search  for  a  valuable 
knife,  prized  as  a  present  from  a  friend,  which  he  had  lost  on 
a  hillside  covered  with  laurels.  He  paused  in  prayer,  asked 
to  be  guided,  commenced  his  search,  and  was  almost  imme- 
diately successful  thereafter. 

The  same  letter  also  mentions  the  case  of  a  friend  in  a  re- 
sponsible position  under  the  government,  whose  accounts 
failed  to  balance  by  reason  of  an  error,  which,  after  long 
search,  he  could  not  detect. 

In  great  distress  he  betook  himself  to  prayer,  and  then 
opening  his  books,  on  the  verij  first  page,  which  he  happened 
to  glance  at,  and  at  the  top  of  the  column,  he  saw  instantly 
the  looked  for  error,  standing  out  so  plainly  that  he  won- 
dered he  had  not  seen  it  before. 

The  writer  also  speaks  of  a  rubber  shoe  being  lost  and 
promptly  found  after  mention  in  prayer. 

These  may  seem  little  matters,  but  they  are  the  privileges 
of  the  righteous  to  ask  ^'anything"  of  "  Him  who  careth  for 
them." 

A  Boy's  Faith  in  Prayer- 

In  a  letter  to  Dr.  W.  W.  Patton,  by  Mr.  T.  I.  Goodwin, 
M.  D.,  of  Staten  Island,  he  describes  a  little  incident  which 
happened  to  him  Avhen  only  thirteen  years  old. 

^'  He  lost  a  choice  penknife  while  collecting  and  driving 
several  cows  from  a  pasture  covered  with  grass  two  inches 
high.  Having  read  Huntington's  Book  of  Faith,  he  thought 
of  prayer,  and  in  child-like  trust  he  knelt  under  a  tree,  out- 
side the  bars,  and  prayed  for  his  lost  treasure ;  for  he  was  a 
farmer's  boy,  and  his  spending  mon^y  amounted  to  only  about 
fifty  cents  a  year,     ^  I  rose  up,  cast  my  eyes  down  on  the 


150  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

ground,  and  without  planning  my  course  or  making  any  esti* 
mate  of  probabilities,  walked  across  the  meadow  centrally  to 
near  its  farther  edge,  saw  the  penknife  down  in  the  grass 
directly  before  me,  and  picked  it  up  all  as  readily  as  I  could 
have  done  had  any  one  stood  there  pointing  to  the  exact  place. 
Had  I  gone  ten  feet  to  the  right  or  left  I  could  not  have  seen 
the  knife,  for  the  grass  was  too  high.' '' 

A  Prayer  for  Five  Dollars. 

One  of  the  City  Home  missionaries  in  New  York  city  re- 
ceived on  a  certain  day  five  dollars  with  special  directions  that 
it  be  given  to  a  certain  poor  minister  in  Amos  street.  In  the 
evening  the  missionary  called  and  gave  him  the  mone3^ 

For  a  moment  the  good  man  stood  amazed  and  speechless. 
Then  taking  down  a  little  journal  he  turned  to  the  record 
made  in  his  diary  of  that  morning,  and  showed  it  to  the  mis- 
sionary. "  Spent  two  and  a  half  hours  in  earnest  prayer  far 
five  doUarsJ^ 

"  And  now  here  it  is,"  said  the  man,  with  a  heart  overflow- 
ing with  gratitude.  "The  Lord  has  sent  it."  Both  giver 
and  receiver  had  their  faith  strengthened  by  the  incident. 

Go  to  the  Post-Office. 

A  correspondent  of  "  The  Guiding  Hand  "  relates  this  in- 
cident : 

"  In  the  year  18 — ,  having  a  brother  living  in  the  city  of 
H.,  I  went  to  see  him.  Going  to  the  store  where  he  had  been 
at  work,  I  found  that  the  firm  had  suspended,  and  that  he  was 
thrown  out  of  employment,  and  had  broken  up  housekeeping, 
but  could  not  ascertain  where  he  was,  only  that  he  was  board- 
ing somewhere  out  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city.  I  searched  for 
him  all  day,  but  in  vain. 

"  It  was  absolutely  necessary  that  I  should  find  him.  What 
more  to  do  I  knew  not,  except  to  pray.     Finally,  I  was  im- 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  151 

pressed  to  write  a  line  and  drop  it  into  the  post-office,  and  I 
obeyed  the  impression,  telling  him,  if  he  got  it,  to  meet  me 
at  a  stated  place,  the  next  morning,  at  ten  o'clock.  1  prayed 
earnestly  that  the  Lord  would  cause  him  to  go  to  the  post- 
office,  so  that  he  might  get  my  letter.  I  felt  full  of  peace, 
and  at  rest  about  the  matter.  The  next  morning,  at  ten 
o'clock,  I  went  to  the  place  appointed  for  him  to  meet  me, 
and  he  soon  came  m,^' 

This  incident  might  seem  one  of  ordinary  or  chance  occur- 
rence, but  for  the  following  unusual  circumstances  : 

"  As  they  were  returning  to  their  home,  his  brother  said  : 
'  There  is  something  very  strange  about  my  going  to  the  post- 
office  this  morning — /  Jiad  my  arrangements  all  made  to  go 
with  a  party,  this  morning  early,  to  the  hay,  fishing  ;  hut, 
when  I  awoke,  I  had  such  an  impression  to  go  down  to  the 
post-office,  that  I  had  to  forego  the  pleasure  of  going  to  the 
hay,  and  ivent  to  the  post-office  and  found  your  letter.' 

"  I  replied,  '  It  was  the  Lord  that  impressed  you  in  answer 
to  my  prayer,  for  I  have  prayed  earnestly  for  the  Lord  to  send 
you  to  the  office  this  morning,'  and,  although  but  young  in 
years  and  religion,  I  gave  God  the  praise  for  his  guidance  and 
His  grace." 

The  Widow's  Tree. 

Not  many  years  ago  a  violent  storm,  with  wind  and  thun- 
der, spread  devastation  all  through  the  valley  of  Yellow  Creek, 
Georgia.  For  a  mile  in  width,  trees  were  uprooted,  barns 
and  fences  were  prostrated,  and  all  the  lands  were  desolated. 

Eight  in  the  center  of  the  tornado  stood  a  small  cabin.  Its 
sole  occupants  were  an  aged  widow  and  her  only  son.  The 
terrible  wind  struck  a  large  tree  in  front  of  her  humble  dwell- 
ing, twisting  and  dashing  it  about.  If  it  fell  it  would  lay  her 
home  in  ruins.  Desolation,  death  itself,  might  follow.  The 
storm  howled  and  raged.  The  great  trees  fell  in  all  direc- 
tions. When  it  seemed  her  tree  must  also  fall  and  there  was 
no  remedy,   she  knelt  in  fervent  supplication  to  Him  who 


152  ANSWERS    TO    PKAYEll. 

gathereth  the  wind  in  his  fists,  that  he  would  spare  that  tree. 
Her  prayer  was  heard.  The  tree  was  spared,  and  was  the  only 
one  left  within  a  considerable  distance  of  the  widow's  cabin. 

Tlie  Lord  Paid  His  Interest. 

A  most  curious  answer  to  prayer  occurred  in  the  experience 
of  a  home  missionary  in  Brooklyn.  It  illustrates  how  God, 
in  his  trials  of  faith  to  see  if  His  people  do  really  cling  to 
the  promises,  compels  them  to  march  right  into  the  scene  of 
danger,  and  into  the  mouth  of  the  cannon,  that  apparently  is 
open  specially  to  shoot  them  down. 

The  interest  on  the  mortgage  of  his  property  was  due  in 
a  few  days.  Its  amount  was  $300.  He  did  not  have  the 
money — did  not  know  where  to  obtain  it.  With  anxious 
heart  during  the  day,  he  kept  up  his  faith  and  courage  by 
thinking  of  the  Lord's  promises,  and,  the  last  night  before 
the  eventful  day,  was  spent  in  prayer,  until  the  assurance 
came  that  all  was  well.  Often  he  pleaded,  often  he  reminded 
the  Lord  that,  as  his  life  was  His,  to  save  him  from  reproach, 
and  not  let  his  trust  in  the  Lord  suffer  dishonor  before  others. 

The  last  moment  came — no  money — no  relief.  With  sink- 
ing heart  he  went  to  the  holder  of  the  mortgage  to  announce 
his  utter  inability  to  meet  his  demand.  While  there,  just  at 
the  last  moment,  when  he  was  about  to  leave,  the  gentleman 
said,  ^^  Bij  the  way,  here  is  an  envelope  I  ivas  told  to  give 
you.'''' 

The  missionary  opened  it,  and  out  came  six  fifty  dollar 
hills,  just  the  three  hundred  dollars  prayed  for.  The  Lord 
met  and  delivered  him  in  the  very  jaws  of  the  enemy. 

Will  the  Lord  Deliver  from  Bad  Habits  of 
Tobacco,  Kum,  Liquor,  Licentionsness, 
etc.,  in  Answer  to  Prayer. 

This  question  having  been  asked  by  a  clergyman  of  Brook- 
lyn, Rev.   S.  H.  Piatt,  he  received  a  large  number  of  commu- 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  153 

iiications,  wliich  evidently  prove  that  the  Lord  is  willing  and 
ilocsy  either  instantaneously  or  gradually  in  answer  to  prayer, 
deliver  and  take  away  wholly  the  bad  habits  and  appetites  of 
those  who  are  willing  to  forsake  their  sinful  ways  and  cleave 
only  to  Him.  The  Lord^s  salvation  cleanses  and  delivers  the 
hody  as  well  as  the  soul. 

We  quote  a  few  extracts  from  his  correspondence,  which  is 
but  a  small  portion  out  of  many  published  in  his  volume, 
''  The  Power  of  Graced 

Cured  of  Tobacco  Appetite. 

*'•  A  little  more  than  a  year  has  elapsed  since  I  left  off  the 
use  of  tobacco.  This  further  time  has  more  fully  developed 
the  thoroughness  of  the  case  spoken  of  and  the  completeness 
of  the  victory  over  an  evil  habit.  I  am  filled  with  wonder, 
for  I  expected  a  terrible  fight  with  an  appetite,  strengthened 
by  an  indulgence  of  about  thirty-five  years,  but  the  enemy 
has  not  shown  his  head.  Not  only  has  the  desire  for  smok- 
iuy  been  effectually  squelched,  but  a  perfect  hatred  of  smok- 
ing has  been  developed  on  account  of  the  offensiveness  of 
the  odor  of  tobacco.  I  frequently  cross  the  street,  or  change 
my  seat  in  a  car  to  escape  the  puff  of  smoke,  or  the  fetid 
breath  of  a  smoker.  'Thanks  be  unto  God  who  giveth  us 
the  victory.' " 

Bad  Habits  Wholly  Overcome. 

"A  physician  of  extended  practice  was  converted  and 
reclaimed  while  I  had  charge  of  the  place  in  which  he  lived. 
He  had  acquired  the  habit  of  using  large  quantities  of  whisky 
and  brandy,  and  withal  more  or  less  given  to  licentiousness. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  steadily  advancing  in  morals  and 
moral  power,  till  he  now  preaches  the  gospel  as  a  local 
preacher,  side  by  side  with  the  best  of  the  district/^ 


154  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Was  it  Instantaneous? 

"  Yes,  as  respects  tobacco ;  he  became  convicted  of  its  sin- 
fulness by  a  voice  saying,  *  That  is  not  the  way  to  glorify 
God;  stop,  and  sto^D  now. '  And  from  that  moment  he  says 
he  has  never  used  it,  neither  does  he  in  any  way  like  the 
smell,  or  even  the  sight  of  tobacco." 

The  Lord  Delivers  from  Bodily  Sins. 

'^I  had  used  tobacco  from  my  childhood,  and  the  love  and 
use  thereof  grew  upon  me.  I  became  convicted  of  its  sinful- 
ness, went  to  God  and  said,  ^Destroy  the  appetite,  mid  girr 
vie  power  over  it.  Save  me  that  I  may  glorify  thee  as  a  God 
of  power  for  our  present  sins,  and  I  will  glorify  thee  ever 
more.'  I  wrote  out  the  contract  and  signed  it,  and  from  that 
blessed  afternoon  have  no  recollection  of  ever  desiring  it  even.'^ 

Another  Deliverance. 

"  Tobacco  was  a  great  trouble  to  me ;  and  I  had  tried  a 
number  of  times  to  leave  it  off,  but  could  not  do  so.  One 
night  as  I  was  retiring  to  rest,  I  thought  I  would  kneel  by 
my  bed  and  ask  Him,  who  never  refuses  to  answer  prayer,  to 
take  from  me  the  desire  for  tobacco,  and  from  that  moment 
it  has  been  impossible  for  me  to  use  it. 

Not  Yonr  Own  Strength  Can  Break  the 
Habit. 

"  I  smoked  tobacco  excessively  for  fifteen  years,  commenc- 
ing when  I  was  about  twenty  years  old.  I  often  strove  to  break 
off  from  the  use  of  it ;  indeed  I  determined  time  and  again  to 
desist  from  it,  sometimes  abstaining  for  a  few  months  or 
weeks,  once  for  twelve  months,  hut  the  desire  never  left  vip, 
and  w^henever  I  tasted  it  I  was  sure  to  take  to  it  again.     1 


ANSWERS    TO   PRAYER.  155 

sometimes  vowed  whilst  upon  my  knees  in  prayer,  to  abstain 
from  it  and  never  touch  it  again,  but  I  always  attempted  to 
do  this  in  my  own  strength ;  hence  I  failed,  being  overcome 
by  the  almost  irresistible  influences  it  had  upon  my  appetite, 
so  long  accustomed  to  the  use. 

"  One  Sunday  morning,  I  retired  to  a  secluded  place,  got 
down  upon  my  knees,  and  asked  the  Lord  to  help  me  quit  it, 
determining  then  and  there  that  I  would,  God  being  mj- 
helper,  never  touch  the  accursed  thing  again  by  any  kind 
of  use  in  the  way  of  consumption,  and  from  that  day  to  this, 
I  have  never  had  any  desire  to  smoke  or  chew  tobacco,  or  to 
use  it  in  any  way ;  I  lifted  my  heart  to  God,  imploring  his 
assistance  in  abstaining  from  it.  I  have  now  been  clear  of 
the  desire  of  it  for  nearly  twenty-three  years." 

A  Double  Cure. 

"  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  I  commenced  to  use  tobacco, 
^nd  continued  to  use  it,  both  smoking  and  chewing,  till  five 
years  ago,  when  in  answer  to  prayer  the  appetite  was  instantly 
removed. 

"The  circumstances  were  as  follows:  I  had  tried  many 
ways  to  l^ave  off  the  use  of  tobacco,  but  the  appetite  was  so 
strong  that  I  could  not  withstand  it.  At  one  time  I  left  it 
off  for  a  month,  but  not  a  day  passed  but  I  craved  it,  and 
when  I  did  begin  again  it  tasted  as  good  as  ever.  I  found 
that  tobacco  was  injuring  my  health.  My  nervous  sj'stem 
was  much  deranged. 

"For  more  than  a  year  before  I  left  it  off  there  was  scarcely 
a  night  but  I  lay  for  two  or  three  hours,  before  I  could  go  to 
sleep.  I  resolved  a  great  many  times  I  would  leave  off,  but 
always  failed.  I  had  also  acquired  the  habit  of  drinking, 
and  became  a  confirmed  drunkard. 

"  I  knew  the  habits  were  killing  me,  but  I  was  powerless 
to  stop.  One  evening  a  prayer-meeting  was  appointed  at  my 
house.     The  minister  in  his  remarks  spoke  about  habits,  and 


156  ANSWERS    TO    PKAYEK. 

said  that  religion  would  €ure  all  bad  habits,  such  as  tobacco, 
&c.,  and  that  by  prayer  God  would  remove  all  evil  appetites. 

^'l  thought  but  little  about  it  that  night ;  was  very  careless 
and  trifling  about  it.  The  next  morning  I  took  out  my  to- 
bacco to  take  a  chew,  and  thought  of  what  the  minister  had 
said  the  night  before.  It  was  a  new  idea  to  me.  I  put  the 
tobacco  in  my  pocket  again,  and  said,  ^I'll  try  it.' 

"/  tvas  alone  in  my  ham ;  I  kneeled  down  aiid  asked  God 
to  remove  the  appetite  from  me.  It  ivas  done.  I  tvas  cured. 
I  felt  it.  I  knew  it  then.  I  have  never  had  a  desire  for  it 
since.  There  has  been  no  hankering  for  it  or  for  strong 
■drink  since.  My  sins  were  all  forgiven,  and  I  was  made  a 
iiew  man  all  over,  inside  and  outside. 

"  When  I  go  into  company  where  they  are  smoking,  I  have 
no  desire  for  it  at  all,  neither  have  I  for  drinking,  any  more 
than  if  I  had  never  had  those  habits.  My  nervous  difficulty 
was  also  instantly  cured.  No  more  trouble  about  sleeping, 
and  I  know  that  Jesus  can  heal  and  remove  and  destroy  all 
evil  habits." 


A  Special  Word  to  all  Seeking  to  Escape 
Evil  Ways. 

Should  these  words  meet  the  eye  of  any  one  so  troubled 
over  any  evil  way  or  bad  habit  from  whose  bondage  he  would 
gladly  escape,  let  me  say  to  you  these  words  of  good  cheer : 
"  The  Lord  can  save  you,  the  Lord  can  deliver  you,  the  Lord 
can  ivholly  heal  you.  He  can  take  away  your  appetite  and 
cleanse  you  thoroucjhly.  He  has  done  it  for  many  others. 
He  can  do  it  for  you.  Kealize  that  your  own  strength  can 
not  do  it.  Forget  not  that  it  is  only  in  answer  to  your  own 
prayer.  Those  who  want  this  good  gift  must  pjray  for  it. 
Deliverance  may  be  instantaneous  or  gradual,  but  do  not 
cease  your  prayer.  Seek  in  the  Bible  for  those  promises 
which  show  that  he  can  deliver  from  all  evil,  and  plead  them 
and  then  trust  in  Him  and  his  strength  to  fulfill  them. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 


L5* 


"  Forget  not  also  to  ask  others  to  pray  for  you,  and  remem- 
ber that  the  answer  is  sure  to  come  if  you  add  to  your  prayer 
these  true  thoughts  of  your  heart,  '  Deliver  me  and  I  give 
tnyself  to  thee  forever:' 

"If  you  expect  so  great  a  gift  from  the  Lord,  he  asks  of 
you,  '  What  are  you  ivilling  to  do  for  me  ?  '  '^ 

Help  at  the  Very  Last  Moment.    Faith 
Rewarded. 

A  clergyman  in  the  State  of  New  York,  through  the  influ^ 
ence  of  a  disaffected  member,  was  unfairly  and  precipitately 
deprived  of  his  pulpit,  which  involved  a  large  family  in  neces- 
sity. At  supper  the  good  man  had  the  pain  of  beholding  the 
last  morsel  of  bread  placed  upon  the  table  without  the  least 
means  or  prospect  of  a  supply  for  his  children's  breakfast. 
His  wife,  full  of  grief  with  her  children,  retired  to  her 
bed.  The  minister  chose  to  sit  up  and  employ  his  dark 
hours  in  prayer,  and  reading  the  promises  of  God.  Some 
secret  hope  of  supply  pervaded  his  breast,  but  when,  whence^ 
or  by  whom,  he  knew  not.  He  retired  to  rest,  and  in  the 
morning  appeared  with  his  family,  and  offered  familj^  prayer. 
It  being  the  depth  of  Winter,  and  a  little  fire  on  the  hearth^ 
he  desired  his  wife  to  hang  on  the  kettle,  and  spread  the 
cloth  upon  the  table.  The  kettle  boiled,  the  children  cried 
for  bread;  the  aiilicted  father,  standing  before  the  fire,  felt 
those  deep  emotions  of  heart  over  his  helplessness  and  im- 
pending starvation  which  those  reared  in  affluence  never 
know. 

While  in  this  painful  state  some  one  knocked  at  the  door, 
entered,  and  delivered  a  letter  into  the  minister's  hand. 
When  the  gentleman  was  gone  the  letter  was  opened,  and  to 
the  minister's  astonishment  it  contained  a  few  bank  bills, 
with  a  desire  for  acceptance.  So  manifest  an  answer  to 
prayer  from  Divine  Goodness  could  not  but  be  received  with 
gratitude  and  joy,  and  fulfills  to  the  very  letter  these  prom.^ 


158  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

ises:   "Verily  thou  slialt  be  fed."     Psalm  37:3.     "I   will 
never  leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee."     Heb.  13  :  5. 

To  ascertain  how  this  occurrence  came  to  take  place,  this 
remarkable  coincidence  of  relief  at  the  identical  moment  of 
time  when  there  was  the  last  appeal  to  God,  the  incident  was 
communicated  to  the  editor  of  a  religious  journal.  Having 
an  intimacy  with  the  gentleman  said  to  be  the  one  whose 
hand  had  offered  the  seasonable  relief,  he  determined  the  next 
time  he  made  him  a  visit  to  introduce  the  subject,  and,  if 
possible,  to  know  the  reason  that  induced  the  generous  action. 
The  story  was  told  with  a  modest  blush  which  evinced  the 
tenderness  of  his  heart.  On  interrogation,  he  said  "  he  had 
frequently  heard  that  minister.  On  a  certain  morning  he 
was  disposed  for  a  walk  ;  thought  in  the  severity  of  the  win- 
ter season  a  trifle  might  be  of  service,  as  fuel  was  high  ;  felt 
a  kind  of  necessity  to  enclose  the  money  in  a  letter  ;  went  to 
the  house,  found  the  family,  delivered  the  paper  and  retired, 
but  knew  not  the  extreme  necessity  of  the  minister  and  his 
family,  either  at  that  time  nor  till  this  very  moment  when  his 
friend  introduced  the  subject.  Thus  it  is  seen  none  but  God 
knew  the  want  or  moved  the  hand  that  gave  the  supply,  and 
brought  them  to  meet  at  the  right  time. 

Spinal  Disease  Cured. 

"  There  was  a  little  girl  in  this  place  that  had  the  cerebro- 
spinal-meningitis  ;  several  had  died  with  this  disease,  and  the 
physician  had  given  her  up  to  die.  The  weekly  prayer-meet- 
ing met  in  town  that  night,  and  her  parents  wrote  a  note  and 
sent  it  by  their  little  son,  requesting  prayer  that  their  little 
daughter  might  live  and  not  die,  signed  with  the  names  of 
both  parents.  From  that  time  she  began  to  recover,  and  to- 
day she  is  a  bright  little  girl,  with  full  use  of  every  faculty, 
and  not  deformed  as  most  persons  are  from  this  terrible  disease. 
I  cannot  view  it  in  any  other  light  than  a  direct  answer  to 
prayer." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  159 

An  Old  Man's  Prayer. 

^'  I  feel  also  like  mentioning  another  instance.  I  knew  an 
old  father  in  Israel,  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  who  once  in 
speaking  with  a  brother  minister,  after  a  revival  of  religion  in 
which  five  of  his  grandchildren  had  professed  their  faith  in 
Christ,  among  others  with  whom  he  had  labored;  said  if  he 
€Oiild  only  live  to  see  his  one  remaining  granddaughter 
brought  into  the  fold,  and  the  two  Presbyterian  churches,  then 
called  the  Old  and  New  school,  united,  he  could  say,  like 
Simeon  of  old,  ^Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in 
peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation.'  About  three 
years  after,  the  two  Presbyteries  met  near  this  place  in 
Oermantown,  Mo.,  and  he  seemed  as  if  he  could  not  contain 
himself  till  the  time  came  for  the  meeting,  so  anxious  was  he 
for  this  great  desire  of  his  heart  to  be  fulfilled.  On  the  day  of 
meeting  he  took  sick  and  could  not  be  present  at  any  of  the 
sessions,  but  many  of  his  brethren  were  with  him,  among 
whom  was  this  one  he  had  been  conversing  with.  The  ses> 
sions  lasted  three  days,  and  upon  the  last  evening  his  wishes 
were  gratified,  the  two  Presbyteries  merged  into  one,  singing 
^  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds  ; '  and  his  youngest  granddaughter 
united  with  the  church,  and  after  the  meeting  adjourned  this 
brother  came  to  watch  with  the  aged  servant  of  God.  He 
was  permitted  to  convey  the  glad  news  to  him,  and  see  a 
heavenly  smile  light  up  his  countenance  as  he  passed  away 
with  his  earnest  prayer  gratified." 

The  Mysterious  Leadings  of  Providence. 

T*he  following  incidents  are  contributed  to  the  book  by  a 
prominent  clergyman  : 

''A  period,  ever  memorable  in  the  life  of  the  writer,  occur- 
red in  the  Autumn  of  1832,  while  attending  a  protracted 
meeting  of  more  than  ordinary  interest  and  power,  held  un- 
der the  auspices  of  the  Baptist  church  in  the  city  of  Scheneo- 


160  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

tady,  under  the  then  pastoral  charge  of  E,ev.  Abraham  D. 
Gillette,  this  being  his  first  settlement.  It  was  in  one  of 
the  meetings  that  the  Holy  Spirit  impressed  my  mind  of  its 
sinfulness  and  the  need  of  a  Savior,  not  only  to  cleanse  my 
soul  of  sin  and  sinful  stains,  but  to  save  me.  These  impres- 
sions caused  me  to  humble  myself  at  the  feet  of  sovereign 
mercy ;  and  in  the  midst  of  my  pleadings,  God  answered  my 
prayer,  and  opened  to  me  new  views,  views  of  the  heavenly 
kingdom,  which  so  electrified  my  soul,  that  with  a  full  heart 
I  could  sa}^,  '  Blessed  be  the  Lord  who  has  shown  me  marvel- 
ous works  in  this  lonely  place  beneath  the  star-lit  sky.' 

"  This  great  change  was,  and  is,  to  me  the  most  wonderful 
interposition  of  God  in  my  behalf  in  answer  to  prayer.  This 
answer  to  prayer  the  promised  result  of  faith  in  Him." 

*'  Again,  in  the  year  1836,  the  writer  in  the  year  mentioned 
was  employed  by  a  transportation  company,  in  the  city  of 
Troy,  in  the  character  of  an  employe  having  direction  of  a 
portion  of  the  business  of  the  company  which  brought  me  in- 
to close  relation  with  the  many  boatmen  connected  with  the 
company.  Association  with  the  boatmen  was  painful  to  my 
religious  nature,  compelled,  as  I  was,  to  hear  all  manner  of 
offensive  talk.  The  latter  led  me  to  indulge  a  wish  that  I 
might  free  myself  from  such  company,  in  order  to  form  asso- 
ciations with  persons  of  my  own  religious  turn  of  mind.  But 
God  willed  otherwise,  as  will  be  learned  from  the  recital  of 
God's  dealings  with  me  on  an  occasion  of  a  journey  alone  in 
a  carriage  from  Troy  to  Schenectady.  It  was  on  the  occasion 
alluded  to  that  most  of  the  time  was  occupied  in  prayer,  and 
the  burden  of  my  prayer  was  '  that  God  would  open  up  a  way 
for  me  wherein  I  could  find  more  congenial  company,  where 
in  fact  my  religious  feelings  would  not  meet  with  the  trials 
incident  to  my  present  associations/  But  He  who  knew  my 
needs  better,  came  to  my  relief  in  words  seemingly  distinct 
enough  to  be  heard.  This  was  the  answer  :  '  I  have  placed 
3^ou  just  where  I  want  3'ou.'  Instantly  my  prayer  for  a 
change  of  location  or  separation  from  my  business  and   its 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  161 

connections  ceased,  and  since,  instead  of  looking  for  easy  po- 
sitions, wherein  the  principles  of  the  faith  which  is  in  me 
may  be  undisturbed,  I  deem  it  suited  to  my  growth  in  grace 
and  increase  in  devotion  to  my  Master's  cause,  to  covet  the 
association  of  men  whose  only  tendency  is  to  evil  continually. 
I  have  found  by  experience  in  the  latter  direction,  that 
although  many  tongues  are  loose  in  the  habit  of  profanity,  I 
am  roused  more  and  more  by  grace  to  impart  words  of  coun- 
sel. I  know  that  efforts  at  consistency  in  Christian  conduct 
and  converse  will  stop  the  mouth  of  profaners  of  the  name  of 
our  Redeemer,  God." 

Another  instance  of  the  presence  of  God  with  his  chil- 
dren is  clearly  manifest  in  the  following  sketch  of  a  meeting 
of  two  brethren,  of  whom  the  writer  was  one,  held  in  the 
conference  room  of  the  First  Baptist  church  in  Troy,  N.  Y., 
of  which  church  he  was  a  member.  The  meeting  alluded 
to  occurred  in  the  early  spring  of  1840  or  '41.  We  were 
accustomed  to  meet  almost  every  day  for  the  purpose  of 
arranging  the  Sunday  school  library,  but  would  occupy  a 
portion  of  the  time,  usually  at  noon,  in  prayer  for  such 
persons  or  objects  as  were  presented  to  the  mind.  On  the 
particular  occasion  we  propose  to  mention,  it  was  mutually 
agreed  that  we  pray  for  one  of  the  brethren,  whose  gifts  were  of 
a  high  order,  and  his  usefulness  hindered  by  a  lack  of  spirit- 
uality. We  mutually  bowed  in  prayer  for  this  brother,  and 
while  thus  engaged  the  door  of  the  room  was  opened,  and  a 
person  entered  and  knelt  between  us,  but  who  he  was,  or  the 
purpose  of  his  visit  we  knew  not  until  we  had  ended  our 
prayer,  at  which  time  the  person  spoke  and  requested  us  to 
continue  praying  for  him. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  service,  the  question  -was  mooted 
how  he  came  there.  His  reply  was  in  substance  as  follows  : 
"  When  standing  on  a  stoop  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Con- 
gress streets,  cogitating  which  way  I  should  go,  I  was  im- 
pressed by  a  voice  within  which  directed  my  course  to  the 
Conference  Room.  I  debated  with  the  impression,  taking  the 
11 


162  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

position  that  it  being  noon  no  meeting  was  then  in  progress. 
Still  the  impression  remained,  and  could  not  be  removed.  No- 
ticing this,  I  gave  way  to  the  voice  and  here  I  am."  Neither 
of  the  three  thus  brought  together  could  doubt  for  a  moment 
that  our  prayer  for  this  brother  was  answered.  His  joy  was 
great  in  view  of  being  thus  called  from  his  delinquency  to 
share  in  the  fullness  of  his  Savior's  love. 

"Another  instance  in  the  experience  of  the  writer  very 
clearly  shows  the  power  and  worth  of  prayer.  About  the 
year  1840,  in  the  Autumn  thereof,  he  experienced  a  lack  of 
vital,  spiritual  energy.  This  had  been  of  months'  continu- 
ance, but  to  his  joy,  culminated  after  retiring  to  rest.  After 
this  manner,  before  sleep  overcame  him,  he  was  impressed  to 
present  his  case  before  the  mercy-seat.  To  do  so  he  arose 
from  his  bed,  retired  to  a  quiet  part  of  his  home  and  bowed 
in  prayer,  seeking  to  occupy  the  entire  night  if  need  be  in 
prayer  for  the  bestowal  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  consequent 
revival  influences  of  other  days.  This  season  of  prayer  was 
of  short  continuance ;  but  not  by  reason  of  disrelish  for  the 
exercise,  but  because  my  prayer  was  answered  and  a  complete 
breaking  away  of  the  previous  hindrances  to  my  spiritual 
enjoyment.  Since  the  event  alluded  to,  now  more  than 
thirty-six  years,  I  have  not  been  afflicted  by  doubts,  and 
counsel  brethren  and  sisters  not  to  allow  themselves  to  be 
made  unhappy  by  this  evil  to  our  spiritual  progress." 

Life  Spared  for  Two  "Weeks. 

"  On  the  8th  of  January,  last,  I  was  called  upon  to  visit  a 
dying  man  in  Jersey  City,  whom  the  doctors  had  said  could 
not  live  but  a  few  hours.  I  found  him  in  severe  bodily  suffer- 
ings and  a  terrible  agony  of  mind.  He  had  lived  a  moral  and 
upright  life  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  but  careless  and  neglect- 
ful of  all  religious  duties,  and  now  with  eternity  before  him 
he  felt  his  life  a  failure  and  his  imperative  need  of  help. 

"  In  his  agony  he   would   cry  out,   '  Lord,  help   me,'  and 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  163 

perhaps  the  next  moment  blaspheme  the  name  of  God.  I 
sought  to  show  him  his  great  sin  in  having  so  long  neglected 
God  and  his  salvation,  and  at  the  same  time  assured  him  that 
Jesus  was  a  great  Savior,  '  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all 
who  would  come  unto  Him.'  I  went  from  his  bedside  to  the 
union  prayer-meeting,  held  in  our  city  during  the  week  of 
prayer,  where  I  presented  his  case  and  asked  the  brethren  to 
pray  that  God  would  save  this  poor  man  even  at  the  eleventh 
hour,  and  spare  him  to  give  good  evidence  of  his  conversion. 
His  case  seemed  to  reach  the  hearts  of  all  present,  and  most 
earnest  prayers  were  offered  in  his  behalf ;  so  strong  was  the 
faith  that  many  came  to  me  at  the  close  of  the  meeting  and 
said  that  j^oung  man  will  certainly  be  saved  before  he  is  taken 
from  this  world. 

"  In  answer  to  prayer  he  was  spared  nearly  two  weeks,  and 
for  some  six  or  seven  days  before  his  death,  gave  much  clearer 
evidence  of  being  trul}^  converted  than  could  have  been  ex- 
pected of  one  in  his  condition." 

A  Missionary's  Experience  in  Mexico. 

-■^  While  laboring  with  my  wife  as  a  missionary  in  Northern 
Mexico,  we  supported  ourselves  for  nearly  four  years  by  teach- 
ing and  such  other  ways  as  the  Lord  opened  up  to  us. 

"  But  our  schools  being  decidedly  Protestant,  and  I  preach- 
ing regularly,  the  opposition  from  Eomanists  was  very  strong; 
this,  together  with  the  extreme  poverty  of  the  people,  made 
our  income  very  small.  Frequently  the  opposition  would  rise 
to  that  pitch  that  only  the  children  of  the  poorest  would  be 
permitted  to  come,  but  we  never  turned  these  away,  though 
they  could  pay  no  tuition,  trusting  that  God  would  provide 
for  us  in  some  other  way. 

''Early  in  the  year  1869,  we  were  much  exercised  to  know 
the  will  of  the  Lord  concerning  us,  whether  he  would  have  us 
continue  or  not.  We  brought  our  case  before  the  Lord  and 
prayed  him  to  make  known  his  will  and  provide  for  our  neces- 


164  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

sary  wants.  In  about  three  weeks  we  received  a  check  for 
eighty  dollars,  sent  us,  as  we  felt,  truly  by  the  Lord  in  answer 
to  our  prayer  through  a  friend  in  New  York,  who  knew  noth- 
ing of  our  circumstances  or  prayer. 

"  In  August  the  same  year,  our  condition  became  such  that 
it  seemed  as  if  in  a  few  days  we  would  be  wholly  without  the 
necessaries  of  life.  We  laid  our  case  before  the  Lord,  and  as 
he  did  not  appear  to  open  up  any  way  for  us  to  leave  the  field, 
we  went  forward  with  our  work  as  faithfully  as  we  knew  how, 
believing  that  the  Lord  would  provide  in  his  own  time  and 
way,  when  one  evening,  just  after  family  worship,  a  rap  cam^ 
to  the  door.  I  opened  it,  there  came  in  quite  a  company 
of  persons,  all  bearing  something,  and  just  exactly  the  thing -^ 
we  needed  most,  and  to  the  amount  of  over  fifty  dollars' 
worth,  and  about  a  sixth  of  it  was,  as  we  learned,  given  bj; 
Romanists  who  had  opposed  us  very  strongly  all  the  time  we 
had  been  there.  Truly  the  Lord  answers  prayer  and  turn' 
the  hearts  of  men  to  do  his  will.'' 

The  Greatest  of  Physicians. 

Miss  X.  of  Brooklyn,  had  suffered  long  and  severely  froO  9- 
distressing  tumor.  One  physician  after  another  had  plied  hi^ 
skill,  but  to  no  purpose ;  even  the  celebrated  Doctor  Simms 
of  New  York,  corroborated  their  verdict,  that  there  was  na 
help  for  her  but  in  the  knife.  She  finary  consented  to  tha* 
terrific  method,  but  was  in  no  condition  of  strength  to  bea' 
the  operation.  It  was  decided  to  postpone  it  till  the  22d  c;' 
June.  Twelve  doctors  were  invited  to  be  present.  Mean' 
while  a  diet  nurse  sent  from  New  York,  remained  with  he»^ 
to  prepare  her  system  for  the  ordeal. 

Three  days  preceding  the  one  appointed  for  the  operatiop- 
she  was  attacked  by  severe  nausea,  which  lasted  two  days, 
and  so  weakened  her  that  again  the  doctors  were  all  notified 
by  the  attending  one,  that  a  further  postponement  was  im- 
perative, and  a  certain  date  fixed  in  November. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  165 

All  this  time  her  own  prayers  were  unceasing,  those  of  her 
friends  added  to  her  own ;  and  many  a  remembrance  in  the 
Fulton  Street  meeting,  cheered  and  encouraged  her. 

By  November,  the  tumor  had  totally  disappeared  !  That 
was  two  years  ago.  She  is  still  well,  strong ;  able  to  walk 
three  miles  any  time. 

She  is  as  certain  that  the  whole  cure  was  performed  by  the 
Lord  in  answer  to  all  those  fervent  prayers,  as  she  is  certain 
she  lives  and  moves. 

How  the  Lord  Paid  Back  the  $5. 

Mr.  H.,  missionary,  was  appealed  to  by  a  poor  man  who 
seemed  almost  distracted.  He  had  a  wife  and  five  children  ; 
one  of  them  ill ;  had  been  sick  himself  for  three  months, 
and  owed  rent  for  the  whole  of  that  time.  The  landlord  had 
served  him  with  a  writ  of  ejectment,  and  he  could  get  no  other 
tenement,  unless  he  could  pay  five  dollars  on  the  rent.  He 
had  applied  to  a  well-known  society  in  Brooklyn  ;  but  they 
were  entirely  out  of  funds  and  gave  him  a  note  to  the  mis- 
sionary, hoping  he  might  have  or  find  the  desired  help.  But 
missionaries'  pockets  are  more  often  depleted,  than  those  of 
benevolent  organizations,  and  the  one  in  question  was  fain  to 
take  the  applicant  to  a  friend,  whom  we  shall  call  Q. 

The  poor  man  told  his  story,  asked  the  five  dollars  only  as 
a  loan,  and,  having  an  order  for  the  painting  of  two  signs, 
said  he  should  be  paid  for  them  when  done,  and  could  return 
the  loan  the  next  Saturday,  one  week  from  that  time. 

Mr.  Q.  saw,  at  once,  that  the  utter  destitution  of  the  fam- 
ily, and  the  need  of  everything,  would  prevent  the  man  return- 
ing the  money,  however  much  he  might  wish  to,  and  so  refused 
to  lend  it.  The  case  was  urged,  but  without  avail ;  and  the 
missionary  sent  the  man  away,  promising  to  see  him  again 
that  night  or  on  Monday.  After  his  departure,  the  following 
conversation  passed  between  the  gentlemen  : 

Q. — "  Now,  H.,  I  don't  take  any  stock  in  that  man.     Can 


1G6  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

you  not  see  that  his  paying  that  money  back,  is  a  simple 
impossibility  ?  " 

H. — "Well,  perhaps  so ;  but  the  question  with  me  in  such 
cases,  is  this :  What  is  duty  ?  Admit  that  he  cannot  pay 
it,  or  even  that  he  will  not  try  ;  is  it  not  better  to  relieve  his 
desperate  need,  than  to  have  him  perhaps  turn  criminal  and 
prey  upon  society  ?  He  viust  leave  the  house  he  is  in ;  he 
cannot  get  another  without  the  money,  and  he  is  desperate  ; 
feels  that  five  dollars  he  must  have,  by  fair  means  or  fouL 
Moreover,  think  of  his  wife  and  children,  leaving  him  out  of 
the  question.  Now  let  us  open  this  little  Bible,  and  see  what 
meets  our  eye  first." 

Q. — "  Oh,  pshaw  !  You  know  I  do  not  believe  in  that 
kind  of  thing  !     Do  you  go  to  the  Bible  for  everything  ?  " 

H. — "  Why  not  ?     Can  we  have  any  better  guide  ?  " 

Q. — "Oh  !  well,  I  don't  work  that  way.  Now  about  that 
man  and  his  money.  I  will  toss  up  a  penny  with  you^ 
whether  I  lend  or  not." 

H. — "No  you  won't !  You  know  I  don't  believe  in  chance^ 
but  in  the  Lord.  And  would  you  sooner  rest  youv  decision 
on  a  gambler's  test,  than  on  God's  promise  ?  Now  just  let 
us  open  the  book." 

Q._"  Well ;  what  do  you  see  ?  " 

H. — "  '  The  wicked  borroweth,  and  payeth  not  again  ;  but 
the  righteous  sheweth  mercy,  and  lendeth.'  "  37th  Psalm,. 
21st  verse. 

As  there  was  no  hunting  up  of  passages,  nor  leaves  turned 
down  to  open  easily,  the  coincidence  was  impressive,  as  well 
as  amusing,  and  H.,  following  it  up,  said,  "  Lend  him  the 
money,  and  if  he  does  not  pay  you  next  Saturday  night,  I 
will." 

It  was  so  agreed  upon,  and,  when  the  man  called  on  the 
missionary  on  Monday  morning,  he  was  sent  to  Q.  for  the 
relief. 

The  week  passed  on,  as  they  all  pass,  weighted  and  freighted 
with  human  ills ;  some  capable  of  alleviation,  some  not ;  but 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  167 

of  the  former,  a  full  share  had  come  under  the  notice  and  care 
of  the  missionary,  and  Saturday  found  him  stepping  into  the 
Fulton  street  prayer-meeting,  N.  Y.,  for  fresh  encouragement 
and  benediction  on  his  labors. 

At  its  close,  a  gentleman  said  to  him,  "  Mr.  H.,  I  have 
known  you  by  sight  for  years  ;  know  your  work  ;  but  have 
never  given  you  anything  ;  and  I  promised  myself  the  next 
time  I  saw  you,  I  would  do  so.  Have  you  any  special  need 
of  five  dollars  now  ?  If  so,  and  you  will  step  to  the  bank 
with  me,  you  shall  have  it."  Instantly  it  flashed  through  the 
mind  of  H.  that  this  was  the  day  when,  either  the  borrower 
or  he,  must  pay  his  friend.  It  may  be  supposed  that  he  went 
to  the  bank  with  alacrity.  Going  back  to  B.  and  meeting  the 
friend,  he  learned  that  neither  man  nor  money  had  appeared, 
and  at  once  tendered  the  five  dollars,  telling  the  story  of  the 
Lord's  care  in  the  matter. 

Q.  was  so  interested  in  this  manner  of  obtaining  supplies, 
that  he  refused  to  take  the  money,  and  instructed  H.  to  use  it 
in  the  Lord's  work. 


Praying  for  Money  for  a  Journey. 

A  lady.  Miss  E.,  residing  in  New  Bedford,  received  a  letter 
telling  of  the  serious  illness  of  her  mother,  in  New  York. 
Sick  herself,  from  unremitted  care  of  an  invalid  during  eight 
years,  poor  as  Elijah  when  his  only  grocers  were  the  ravens, 
too  old  for  new  ambitions,  too  well  acquainted  with  the  gray 
mists  of  life  to  hope  for  many  rifts  through  which  the  sun- 
shine might  enter,  she  had  no  sum  of  money  at  all  approach- 
ing the  cost  of  the  trip  between  the  two  places. 

''  He  shall  cover  thee  with  his  feathers,  and  under  his  wings 
shalt  thou  trust,"  is  a  text  bound  over  her  daily  life,  as  a 
phylactery  was  bound  between  the  eyes  of  an  ancient  Hebrew. 
She  lives  literally,  only  one  day  at  a  timx,  and  walks  literally 
by  faith  and  not  by  sight.  So  then  as  ever,  the  Lord  was 
her  committee  of  ways  and  means ;  but  for  three  days  the 


168  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

answer  was  delayed.  Then,  an  old  lady  called  to  express  her 
indebtedness  for  Miss  E.'s  services  three  years  before,  and  ask 
her  acceptance  of  ten  dollars  therefor,  "  no  sort  of  equivalent 
for  days  and  days  of  writing  and  searching  law  papers,  but 
only  a  little  token  that  the  service  was  not  forgotten." 

There  was  the  answer  to  her  prayer ;  there  the  redemption 
of  the  pledge  :  "  As  the  mountains  are  round  about  Jerusa- 
lem, so  the  Lord  is  round  about  his  people  from  henceforth, 
even  forever." 


Employment  Found. 

A  man  and  wife  were  out  of  employment,  and  in  very  great 
trouble.  Mr.  H.  (missionary)  had  added  his  efforts  to  theirs, 
and  sedulously  sought  among  the  families  he  knew,  for  posi- 
tions for  them.  After  two  weeks'  fruitless  endeavor,  he  said 
to  the  man,  "  Well,  John,  let  us  go  into  the  Fulton  street 
meeting  and  leave  it  with  the  Lord."  They  did  so ;  the 
request  was  read  and  remembered. 

The  very  next  day,  Mr.  H.  received  a  note  from  one  of  the 
families  to  whom  he  had  already  applied,  and  without  success, 
requesting  him  to  send  the  man  and  wife  of  w^hom  he  had 
spoken.  Very  joyfully  he  did  so,  and  they  were  both  engaged  ! 
Mr.  H.  considered  it  a  very  marked  answer  to  prayer,  inas- 
much as  it  was  quite  difficult  to  find  a  family  who  wanted  a 
man  as  well  as  woman  servant ;  and  that  particular  family 
was,  of  all  others,  the  least  likely  to  make  such  an  arrange- 
ment! 

A  Barrel  of  Flour. 

For  the  "Faith  Home  for  Incurables  "  Mr.  H.  received,  one 
day,  five  dollars.  A  barrel  of  flour  was  terribly  needed.  He 
went  to  a  large  house  in  New  York,  hoping  the  Lord  would 
jMcline  the  proprietor  to  sell  him  a  barrel  for  that  sum.  He 
felt  too  poor,  was  not  willing ;  and  with  a  heavy  heart,  Mr. 
H.  returned,  asking  the  Lord  what  next  he  should  do.     He 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  169 

called  at  the  store  of  a  friend,  where  the  following  conversa- 
tion took  place.  "  Well,  did  you  get  the  flour  ? "  "I  did 
not ;  they  feel  too  poor,  and  I  am  terribly  disappointed.  It 
is  almost  dark  now  ;  I  have  lost  my  time  going  over  there, 
and  at  this  hour,  the  flour  merchants  here  are  closed."    "  Well, 

^^^- called   here,  and  I   told  him  you  were  in,  and  oii 

what  errand  you  had  gone  to  New  York.  He  said  he  would 
^end  a  barrel  to  my  store  if  I  would  send  it  up  to  the  Home  ; 
and  I  did  so,  about  an  hour  ago." 

Wonderful  Ways  of  the  Lord  in  Quiding 
His  People. 

Our  missionaries  move  amidst  the  reality  of  scenes  which 
religious  fiction  vainly  strives  to  equal.  Remarkable  proofs  of 
genuine  and  vivid  piety,  triumphs  of  patience  and  grace,  lift- 
ing their  possessors  above  the  most  painful  and  distressing 
circumstances,  are  met  with  in  all  their  explorations,  and 
more  than  repay  them  for  toil  or  privation. 

Wonderful  Conversion  of  a  Roman  Cath- 
olic. 

A  frame  dwelling  in  an  alley,  two  rooms  on  the  first  floor, 
in  the  smaller  one  a  bed-ridden  old  colored  man,  who  had 
fought  the  battle  of  life  for  ninety  years,  fifteen  of  them  on 
his  bed,  with  eyes  so  dimmed  by  age  that  he  could  not  even 
read  ;  and  a  wife  who  was  eye,  ear  and  solace  to  him,  are  the 
salient  points  of  our  first  picture. 

They  were  both  earnest,  exultant  Christians,  around  whom 
the  angels  of  God  encamped  day  and  night.  The  wife  wao 
brought  up  in  the  West  Indies,  as  a  Catholic,  but  her  ideas 
of  religion  consisted  mostly  in  counting  beads  on  a  rosary. 
After  coming  to  Brooklyn,  she  became  a  servant  in  the  family 
of  a  well-known  naval  officer,  and  was  always  a  favorite  on 
account  of  her  vivacity.     One  day,  a  young  painter  who  was 


170  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

working  there,  and  proved  to  be  one  of  the  Christians  whose 
light  shines  for  all  in  the  house,  spoke  to  her,  and  invited  her 
to  a  prayer-meeting  in  a  Protestant  chapel.  She  refused, 
laughing ;  but  the  painter's  assurance  next  day,  that  she  had 
been  prayed  for  in  that  meeting,  made  her  restless,  uneasy 
and  sick.  In  a  few  days,  she  was  confined  to  her  bed  and 
pronounced  by  some  doctors,  a  victim  to  consumption.  One, 
more  sagacious  than  the  rest,  said  her  trouble  was  of  the 
mind,  not  the  body,  and  a  minister  would  be  better  than  a 
doctor. 

It  proved  to  be  the  case ;  she  was  soon  led  into  a  glimmer- 
ing hope,  though  feeling  that  she  literally  carried  a  burden 
on  her  back.  Starting  out,  one  night,  to  look  for  a  place  of 
worship,  she  turned  her  feet  to  a  Methodist  meeting  from 
whence  the  sound  of  singing  had  reached  her.  In  the  prayer 
and  exhortation,  however,  there  were  words  which  revealed 
to  her  the  secret  of  faith  and  salvation.  She  felt  the  burden 
loosen  and  fall  from  her  shoulders,  so  sensibly,  that  involun- 
tarily, she  turned  and  looked  for  it  on  the  floor.  In  a  few 
moments  she  began  to  realize  the  freedom  she  had  gained,  and 
started  to  her  feet  in  joy  and  wonder. 

Her  work  then  began  in  her  own  home,  and  through  her 
prayers  of  faith,  five  members  of  the  Commodore's  own  family 
and  an  Irish  Catholic  servant  girl,  were  brought  to  "  Christ, 
the  living  way."  For  years  her  faith  was  proved  by  her 
works ;  her  daily  example  in  the  household,  her  watching.s 
and  waitings  by  the  bedside  of  her  helpless  husband — poverty, 
sickness,  perplexities  of  every  sort,  but  made  her  hope  the 
brighter,  her  hold  the  firmer.  With  no  dependence  for  their 
daily  bread  but  the  benefactions  of  one  and  another  person, 
sometimes  entire  strangers,  they  never  knew  what  it  was  to 
snffer  actual  want,  nor  did  Frances  ever  believe  that  her  fj  iend 
would  forget  her. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  171 

Remarkable  Preservation  of  Life  from 
LigMning  in  Answer  to  Prayer. 

I  was  riding  on  top  of  the  Boulder  Pass  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  in  the  summer  of  1876,  when  a  sudden  storm  of 
rain,  wind,  and  furious  tempest  came  up.  There  was  no 
shelter  from  rocks,  no  trees  or  buildings  to  be  seen — a  lonely, 
wind-swept  summit.  I  knew  that  the  lightning  on  those  high 
elevations  was  fearful  in  intensity.  I  was  appalled  at  the 
prospect  before  me,  but  feeling  that  God  had  promised  to  care 
for  his  children — ''No  evil  shall  befall  thee  or  come  nigh  thy 
dwelling" — I  composed  myself,  and  though  on  horseback^ 
with  the  rain  beating  in  torrents,  I  offered  simple  prayer  to 
God  that  he  would  save  me  from  the  rain  and  stop  it.  But 
No,  it  came  harder  than  ever;  then  I  prayed  that  I  might  be 
protected  from  all  danger,   ''for  I  trusted  in  Himf 

I  rode  on  and  on  for  miles,  chilly,  cold,  wet  through,  the 
clouds  hanging  low  and  the  lightning  flashing  above  me> 
around  me,  striking  near  me,  constant' flashes,  peals  of  thun- 
der; but  I  was  not  terrified.  "  God  must  keep  me."  Twice  I 
was  distinctly  struck  with  the  electric  flash,  detached  portions 
or  sparks  from  the  electric  cloud,  directly  in  the  center  of  the 
forehead,  but  it  had  no  more  force  than  just  to  close  my  eyes> 
shake  my  head  a  little,  obscure  my  sight  a  moment,  and  then 
it  was  all  over,  and  I  was  clearer,  cooler,  calmer,  happier,  and 
more  self-possessed  than  ever  before.  I  attribute  my  protec- 
tion from  peril  entirely  to  prayer,  and  the  fierceness  of  the 
tempest  and  the  proximity  of  danger  were  permitted  by  the 
Lord  to  try  my  trust.  Those  portions  which  struck  me,  if  in 
ordinary  times  had  been  given  me  from  an  electric  battery  in 
a  school-room,  a  shock  with  sparks  only  one-hundredth  the 
size,  would  have  killed  me. 

I  can  thus  say  with  thanks,  faith  was  then  'made  perfect  in 
danger,  and  the  Lord  was  faithful  in  hearing  his  child's  cry^ 
and  delivered  him. 


172  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

God  Never  Failed  Her. 

An  aged  colored  woman,  lived  that  life  of  faith  which 
shines  brighter  and  brighter  unto  the  perfect  day.  Born  a 
slave,  on  Long  Island,  she  was  never  taught  to  read,  never 
enjoyed  any  social  privileges  ;  but  the  God  of  the  widow  of 
Sarepta,  who  bad  neither  "store-house  nor  barn,"  was  her 
God,  and  brought  her  out  of  the  house  of  spiritual  bondage. 

She  outlived  all  her  early  associations;  all  her  children  and 
grandchildren,  husband  and  brother  passed  on  before,  leav- 
ing her  alone  in  poverty  and  sickness.  Yet  she  sat  in  her 
little  hut,  a  cheerful,  happy  Christian ;  a  living  witness  for 
God  as  a  oo^'enant-keeper.  Doubting,  despondent  souls  were 
3,lways  glad  to  visit  her,  to  listen  to  her  simj^le  words  of  wis- 
dom and  gather  strength  from  her  invincible  trust.  Koman 
Catholic  neighbors  persecuted  and  even  threatened  her ;  but 
in  reply  to  a  missionary  who  remarked  that  it  must  be  very 
trying  and  somewhat  dangerous,  she  said,  "  Don't  you  know 
the  Lord  has  a  hook  in  the  jaws  of  the  wicked,  so  they  shan't 
hurt  us  if  we  belong  to  him  ?  Jesus  is  always  with  me;  so 
I'm  never  alone  and  never  afraid." 


His  Mother's  Prayer. 

A.  poor  sailor,  kading  a  most  profligate  and  abandoned 
life,  whose  praying  mother  followed  him  like  a  shadow  into 
•and  out  of  his  drinking  saloons  and  gambling  houses,  at  last 
■absented  himself  from  home,  whenever  he  was  in  port.  Her 
burden,  finally,  seemed  too  great  to  bear,  and  she  resolved  to 
Snake  a  stronger  effoit  than  ever  before,  to  cast  it  upon  the 
t/ord.  As  she  knelt,  with  her  heart  well-nigh  bursting  with 
this  desire,  she  felt  a  powerful  conviction  that,  at  last,  she  was 
answered.  For  sev^^ral  years  the  son  went  on  in  his  wicked 
"Career,  and  the  mother  sorrowed  that  it  was  so,  but  her  soul 
was  no  longer  laden  with  fear ;  she  felt  the  assurance  of  his 
conversion,  sooner  or  later.      Again,  for    several  years,  she 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  173 

never  heard  of  him,  and  thought  him  dead ;  then  she  ceased 
praying  for  him,  and  was  steadfast  in  the  faith  of  meeting 
him  in  heaven.  But  sight  was  to  be  given  her,  as  a  reward 
for  faith.  He  returned,  afr  last,  only  thirty  years  of  age,  but 
broken  down  in  health,  and  worn  out  by  dissipation  and  hard- 
ship. Still  unconverted,  but,  to  satisfy  his  mother,  he  con- 
sented to  remain  in  the  room  during  a  visit  of  the  missionary 
of  that  district ;  a  man  with  sufficient  tact  not  to  make  his 
efforts  obnoxious.  He  did  not  tell  the  young  man  he  was  a 
sinner  and  must  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come  ;  he  merely  pre- 
sented the  love  of  Jesus  ;  the  love  that  saved  to  the  very  utter-^ 
'most ;  that  waited  more  patiently  than  any  earthly  friend,  and 
forgave  more  royally.  At  first,  be  listened  indifferently,  but, 
at  last,  burst  into  tears,  saying,  "  I  thought  I  was  so  bad  He- 
didn't  want  anything  to  do  with  me."  A  long  conversation,. 
and  others  at  intervals  followed,  and,  before  his  death,  which 
occurred  several  months  after,  his  mother's  heart  was  glad- 
dened by  the  account  of  his  change,  and  the  knowledge  that, 
in  farthest  lands,  his  thoughts  were  back  with  her.  The 
deeper  he  went  in  sin,  the  more  unsatisfactory  and  abhorrent 
it  became,  and  he  would  have  turned,  long  before,  to  the  Lord,, 
had  he  believed  there  was  the  least  hope  for  him.  When  he 
closed  his  eyes  to  earth,  a  few  friends  enabled  his  mother  to. 
give  him  respectable  burial,  in  the  same  grave  where,  years, 
before,  his  father  was  laid. 


The  Heart  of  Stone  Relents. 

Another  consumptive  in  the  neighborhood,  was  thoroughly 
an  infidel.  Mr.  A.  visited  the  house  three  times  a  week,  and,, 
at  last,  succeeded  in  overcoming  his  objections  to  a  weekly 
prayer-meeting  in  his  house.  In  his  hearing,  earnest  sup- 
plication was  always  made  for  him,  and,  at  the  end  of  four 
months,  the  heart  of  stone  relented.  He  had  not,  at  first, 
the  courage  to  appropriate  the  promises  to  himself ;  but  one 
morning  very  early  he  sent  for  the  missionary  to  reveal  th& 


174  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

news  that  he  felt  all  his  sins  forgiven,  and  had  "  Christ  t7i 
him,  the  hope  of  glory."  Four  months  more  he  lived  to  bear 
witness  continually  to  God's  amazing  mercy,  and  then  joyfully 
expired,  declaring  himself  saved  by  grace  alone. 

A  Discouraged  One  Revived. 

Mr.  C ,  walking  home  one  Saturday  afternoon,  fell  into  a 

discouraged  train  of  thought  because  he  appeared  to  have  done 
so  little  for  the  Master  that  whole  week.  At  that  moment  a 
young  man  took  him  by  the  hand  saying — "  You  do  not  know 
me,  but  I  know  you.  A  few  weeks  ago  I  was  on  the  high 
road  to  destruction,  but  now  through  your  instrumentality  I 
am  in  the  narrow  path  which  leads  to  everlasting  life.  I  at- 
tended your  prayer-meeting  one  evening  in  company  with  a 
friend  of  mine.  You  spoke  with  great  earnestness,  and  after 
we  sang  the  last  hymn  you  remarked,  '  How  can  I  bless  whom 
God  has  cursed  ?  For  he  declares,  If  any  man  love  not  the 
Lord,  he  shall  be  accursed.'  I  cannot  describe  my  sensations. 
For  several  days  I  could  find  no  peace,  but  when  at  last  my 
faith  rested  on  Jesus,  I  found  that  peace  which  flows  like  a 
river;  and  now,  like  Moses,  I  have  chosen  rather  to  suffer 
affliction  with  the  children  of  God  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures 
of  sin,  for  I  know  if  I  have  to  face  any  trouble  on  account  of 
my  religion,  I  can  look  forward  to  a  glorious  reward." 

The  Prisoner  Loosed. 

On  the  third  floor  of  a  tenement  house,  a  missionary,  Mr. 
B.,  found  a  comely,  intelligent  young  English  woman  in  great 
distress.  Her  heart  seemed  wrung  by  grief.  A  few  kind 
words  of  sympathy  drew  from  her  the  story  of  her  woe.  She 
came  to  this  country  with  her  husband  and  three  young~ chil- 
dren. He  was  employed  as  book-keeper  in  a  large  mercan- 
tile house  ;  but  soon  became  addicted  to  drink,  and  the  story 
is  ever  the  same  ;  loss  of  position,  poverty,  disgrace,  suffering 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  175 

and  recklessness.  On  the  day  of  the  missionary's  visit,  he 
was  in  a  prison  cell,  committed  as  a  vagrant  and  common 
drunkard.  The  wife  was  bitterly  weeping  in  her  cheerless 
home,  and  the  children  around  her  fretting  with  hunger.  Mr. 
B.  was  so  touched  he  could  scarcely  find  words  with  which  to 
console  her,  but  turned  to  Isaiah  and  read,  "■  For  thy  maker 
is  thy  husband ;  the  Lord  of  Hosts  is  his  name."  "  For  a 
small  moment  have  I  forsaken  thee,  but  with  great  mercies 
will  I  gather  thee."  After  his  prayer,  she  felt  calmer,  and 
entreated  him  to  come  the  next  week,  on  the  day  her  husband 
would  be  released.  He  complied;  found  a  prepossessing  and 
cultivated  man  ;  and  upon  telling  him  how  earnestly  his  wife 
and  himself  had  prayed  for  him,  was  rejoiced  to  learn  that  in 
that  lonesome  cell  the  Spirit  of  God  had  visited  him,  filled  him 
with  a  sincere  wish  to  reform  the  future  and  redeem  the  past. 
The  missionar}^  called  again  and  again,  and  witnessed  the 
strong  determination  of  the  young  man  to  fight  against  his 
pernicious  habit.  He  was  soon  employed  again  in  a  large 
bouse,  became  a  regular  attendant  at  the  Lord's  house,  and 
began  to  pray  both  publicly  and  privately  for  help  from  on 
high.  Only  a  few  months,  and  both  husband  and  wife  united 
with  a  church  and  became  teachers  in  the  Sabbath  school. 
Their  own  home,  once  laid  waste,  again  blossomed  like  the 
rose. 

Praying  for  Tea. 

On  a  top  floor  in  a  street  of  tenements  lives  a  colored  woman 
one  hundred  and  ten  years  old  !  Her  son,  a  man  over  seventy, 
lost  his  wife,  a  neat,  active  Christian  woman,  very  suddenly, 
and  his  aged  mother  was  plunged  in  despairing  grief.  "  Why, 
why  was  I  left,  old  and  rheumatic  and  useless,  and  Mary,  a 
smart,  busy,  capable  woman  taken  away  without  a  minute's 
warning  ? "  was  her  continual  cry.  But  the  son  was  left 
desolate,  and  the  two  rooms  were  to  be  kept  clean,  the  meals 
provided  before  he  left  for  his  work  in  the  morning,  and  after 
his  work  at  night;  there  was  no  one  else  to  do  it,  and  love  for 


176  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

him  called  out  new  effort.  With  cane  in  one  hand  she  treads 
the  rooms  back  and  forth,  performing  the  household  duties. 
E3^es  undinimed,  faculties  unimpaired,  she  does  what  she  can. 
Upon  receiving  a  call  a  few  months  after  the  death  of  her 
daughter-in-law,  she  said  —  "You've  brought  me  a  whole 
pound  of  that  nice  tea  !  Well,  honey,  /  asked  the  Lord  for 
s  nne  good  tea  last  night,  and  I  knowed  well  enough  it  would 
he  along  some  time  to-day,  cos  He  never  keeps  me  luaitlng  long. 
I  found  out  why  he  took  Mar}^  instead  of  me  ;  old  as  I  was,  I 
wasn't  half  so  fit  to  go,  and  he  was  so  full  of  mercy  he  let  me 
stay  long  enough  to  see  it!  You  know,  honey,  I've  got  no 
one  to  talk  over  old  times  with.  There  ain't  none  of  'em  left 
that  I  was  young  with,  and  not  many  I  was  old  with ;  but 
I'm  never  lonesome,  for  I'm  too  busy  thinking  of  all  the  Lord's 
watching  and  waiting  for  me.  I'm  dreadful  little  use,  but  my 
son  couldn't  get  along  very  well  without  me,  and  then  I  tell 
you  I'm  so  busy  thinking,  I  ain't  got  any  time  to  be  lazy  or 
lonesome.  Good  many  little  things  we  want,  too,  and  I  have 
to  be  runnin'  to  the  Lord  for  'em." 

"Do  they  come  every  time,  auntie?"  *' Every  single 
time,  honey !  He  never  fails,  no  matter  who  else  does.  He 
knows  I  don't  ask  for  no  nonsense  ;  only  for  the  things  we 
really  need,  and  he  has  promised  them  all  the  time."  "But, 
are  there  not  times,  auntie,  for  instance,  when  j'our  son  is 
sick,  when  you  cannot  see  where  rent  and  food  is  coming 
from?"  *' Don't  want  to  see,  honey!  What's  the  use 
seein'  ?  Believin's  the  thing  !  Believin's  better  than 
money."  And  so,  all  the  revolving  months,  this  relic  of 
the  last  century  walks  by  faith  in  the  unseen. 


Giving  Her  Last  Dollar  to  the  Lord. 

A  poor  woman,  sitting  in  a  little  church,  heard  the  minis- 
ter make  an  urgent  appeal  for  money  enough  to  pay  a  debt  of 
two  hundred  dollars,  contracted  by  the  church  the  previous 
Winter.      She  had  one  dollar  in  her  pocket  j    half  drew  it 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  177 

out;  thought  of  the  improbability  of  having  any  more  for 
several  days  ;  put  it  back.  Thought  again,  "  Trust  in  the 
Lord  for  more;  "  drew  it  wholly  out,  and  deposited  it  in  the 
basket.  The  next  morning,  a  lady  called  to  settle  a  bill  of 
two  dollars,  so  long  unpaid  that  it  was,  long  before,  set  dowji 
among  the  losses. 


The  Danish  Girl's  Blessing. 

A  very  poor  Danish  girl,  broken  down  in  health,  utterly 
unable  longer  to  labor  for  her  own  support,  was  provided 
with  the  means,  and  urged  to  go  to  Denmark,  as  her  friend 
felt  sure  there  was  some  good  in  store  for  her  there,  meaning, 
more  definitely,  the  restoration  of  her  health.  She  could  not 
be  induced  until,  thoroughly  satisfied  by  several  tokens  that 
it  was  the  Lord's  will,  and  then  she  consented. 

A  devout,  humble  Christian  missionary  became  acquainted 
with  her  soon  after  her  arrival,  and,  being  struck  with  the 
beauty  of  holiness  in  every  action  and  conversation  of  her 
life,  asked  her  to  marry  him,  that  he  might  have  the  constant 
satisfaction  of  rendering  her  life  comfortable,  and  finding  his 
own  encouragement  in  her  unfailing  faith.  His  letters  are 
full  of  his  saintly  wife,  and  her  signally  blessed  efforts  in 
winning  people  to  put  their  trust  where  it  need  fear  no 
betrayal. 

The  Swedish  G-irl  Blessed. 

A  Christian  Swedish  girl,  who  had,  for  three  years,  don0 
the  washing  of  a  certain  family,  had  so  interested  them  by 
her  care  of  an  aged  father,  and  gained  their  esteem  by  hef 
humble  piety,  that,  wishing  to  go  to  Europe  for  six  months, 
they  offered  her  two  rooms  in  their  house  for  that  time,  that 
she  might  not  only  save  the  labor  necessary  to  pay  her  rent, 
l>ut,  also,  take  charge  of  their  effects.  The  offer  was  gladly 
accepted,  and  recognized  as  a  token  especially  from  the 
Lord. 

12 


178  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

In  times  when  the  father  was  yet  ahle  <.o  work  a  little,  they 
had  economized  to  a  degree  that  resulted  in  saving  twenty  dol- 
lars. It  was  laid  by  for  three  moriths'  rent,  when  he  should 
he  no  longer  able  to  earn  it.  That  time  had  come ;  as  yet 
the  money  had  not  been  touched ;  but  Satan  sent  a  wicked 
woman  to  hire  the  next  room,  and,  while  the  father  was 
asleep,  and  his  poor  daughter  at  church,  she  stole  it.  Their 
grief  was  great,  but  they  reminded  the  Lord  how  hardly  it 
was  earned,  and  how  faithful  he  had  alwaj^s  been  to  His 
promises.  R  can  be  easily  understood  with  what  emphasis 
this  unexpected  offer  came  to  them. 

Saved  from  Drowning. 

A  pow  German  woman  rushed  frantically  through  the  street 
and  into  the  house  of  a  countrywoman,  very  little  better  off 
than  herself,  declaring  she  would  drown  herself  that  very 
night  if  no  one  would  give  her  work.  A  family  on  the  same 
floor  gave  her  the  use  of  a  very  small,  bare  room  for  one  week, 
free  of  charge ;  after  that,  it  would  be  eighty  cents  per  week 
rent.  Her  countrywoman  shared  with  her,  such  as  she  had 
for  the  evening  and  the  morning,  and  after  the  breakfast,  sent 
for  a  good,  ever-ready  missionary  to  talk  and  pray  her  into  a 
better  frame  of  mind.  He  did  so,  but  confirmed  and  rested 
her  faith  on  substantial  works.  He  procured  employment 
for  her  before  the  sun  set ;  enough  to  pay  the  rent  and  get  a 
I'ittle  common  food.  Then  obtained  coal  sufficient  to  last  a 
couple  of  months  ;  and  so,  leading  her  little  by  little  into 
light  and  hope,  drew  her  into  regular  attendance  at  the  Mis- 
sion chapel  in  her  neighborhood. 


The  Widow  in  Want. 

A  home  missionary  in  Brooklyn,  who  has  an  enviable  rep- 
utation for  his  entire  consecration  to  the  work  of  helping  the 
poor,  one    day  when  engaged   in  his  benevolent  works,   en- 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  179^ 

tered  a  restaurant,  kept  by  a  Christian  friend,  a  man  of  like 
spirit  with  himself,  who,  m  the  course  of  conversation,  related 
to  him  the  following  circumstances,  illustrative  of  the  power 
of  prayer. 

He  had,  on  a  certain  day,  cleared  a  large  sum,  part  of 
which  consisted  of  Mexican  dollars.  Returning  home  in 
high  spirits,  he  felt  as  if  he  could  go  to  sleep  sweetly  on  thi» 
silver  pillow.  But  a  thought  suddenly  intruded,  which  gave 
a  new  turn  to  his  feelings.  It  related  to  a  poor  woman  in 
his  neighborhood,  the  widow  of  a  very  dear  friend  of  his, 
whom  he  knew  to  be  in  want.  "  Shall  I  take  all  this  money 
to  myself?"  thought  he.  "Does  not  the  Providence  who 
gave  it  to  me  say.  No!  Give  some  of  it  to  the  ividow  of  your 
friend:' 

AVith  this  impression  he  retired,  as  was  his  habit,  quite 
early,  but  he  could  not  sleep.  The  thought  of  the  needy 
widow  haunted  him.  "I  will  go  to-morrow,"  said  he  to  him- 
self, "and  see  what  I  can  do  for  her."  But  this  good  inten- 
tion proved  no  opiate  to  his  disturbed  mind.  "Possibly  she 
or  I  may  not  live  to  see  to-morrow."  Something  seemed  to 
gay  go  now.  He  tossed  from  side  to  side,  but  could  not  sleep. 
Go  710W  kept  ringing  in  his  ear.  So  at  length  the  restless 
man  had  to  dress  himself  and  go. 

At  this  late  hour,  not  far  from  eleven,  he  sallied  forth  to 
fiad  the  widow.  Seeing  a  dim  light  in  the  upper  story  where 
she  resided,  and  following  its  lead,  he  crept  softly  along  on 
the  stairway,  until  he  reached  the  room  from  which  a  low 
sound  issued.  The  door  was  slightly  ajar ;  through  which 
he  could  hear  the  voice  of  prayer,  scarcely  audible,  but  deeply 
earnest.  He  dared  hardly  stir,  lest  he  should  disturb  the 
praying  widow.  But  he  came  on  an  errand,  and  he  must  ac- 
complish it.  But  how  ?  Recollecting  at  the  moment,  that 
he  had  in  his  pocket  a  few  of  the  Mexican  dollars,  he  gently 
pushed  at  the  door,  and  it  opened  just  wide  enough  for  his 
purpose.  So  taking  encli  piece  of  money  between  his  fingers, 
be  rolled  it  in  along  the  carpet,  and  withdrew  as  noiselessly 


180  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

as  he  had  ascended.  Returning  to  his  home,  he  fell  asleep 
and  slept  soundly,  as  well  he  might,  after  this  act. 

The  widow  at  length  arose  from  her  knees,  and  was  struck 
on  seeing  the  shining  money  lying  about  her  floor.  Where 
had  these  pieces  of  silver  come  from  ?  Here  was  a  mystery 
she  could  not  solve.  But  she  knew  it  was  from  the  Lord,  and 
that  he  had  answered  her  prayer.  So  with  tears  of  gratitude,, 
she  gave  thanks  to  Him,  "whose  is  the  silver  and  the  gold." 

Shortly  after  this  event,  she  attended  prayer-meeting,  where 
she  felt  constrained  to  make  known  this  wonderful  interposi- 
tion in  answer  to  prayer.  The  Christians  present  were  as 
much  astonished  as  herself.  The  silence  which  ensued  was 
broken  by  a  brother  of  that  church,  who  rose  and  said,  "What 
this  good  woman  has  told  you,  is  strictly  true.  These  dollars 
came  from  the  Lord.  They  came  in  answer  to  her  prayer.'^ 
He  then  detailed  the  circumstances  before  related.  "God 
deputed  me  to  carry  this  money,  and  providentially  I  am 
here  to  night  to  testify  to  the  fact  that  God  hears  and  an- 
swers prayer." 

It  seems,  from  a  subsequent  statement,  that  this  widow 
owed  a  certain  sum,  that  she  was  obliged  to  pay  immediately, 
and  having  nothing  in  hand,  she  was  pleading,  that  night, 
that  her  Heavenly  Father  would  send  her  the  needed  amount. 

The  Sewing  G-irl  Relieved  Just  in  Time. 

A  sick  Scotch  girl  was  found  lying  on  a  narrow  bed  in  a 
close,  uncomfortable  room,  her  sobs  audible  to  the  missionary-, 
when  half-way  up  the  stairs.  Her  story  was  short.  When 
about,  she  earned  three  dollars  and  a  half  a  week,  at  a  busi- 
ness that  was  killing  her.  Of  that,  she  paid  three  dollars  for 
her  board  ;  leaving  but  the  half-dollar  for  clothing  or  incident- 
als. But  now — she  had  been  Ijnng  there  two  weeks  ;  six 
dollars  were  due  for  board,  and  still  she  was  unable  to  rise, 
and,  when  she  did,  how  could  she  ever  pay  the  back  indebted- 
ness ? 


ANSWERS    TO    PRATER.  181 

The  woman  with  whom  she  lived,  was  too  poor  herself 
to  give  her  the  lost  time,  and,  moreover,  was  one  of  the 
class  whom  struggle  and  battle  hardens.  The  missionary 
came  just  in  time  to  quell  the  poor  girl's  fears,  and  paid  her 
debts  ;  mind  and  body  were  set  at  rest,  and,  one  or  two  Chris- 
tian ladies  being  made  acquainted  with  the  case,  attended  to 
the  comforts  which  hastened  her  recovery ;  and,  when  once 
more  pursuing  her  avocation,  her  "  mither's  God "  seemed 
very  near,  not  as  one  afar  off. 

Praying  for  a  Home. 

A  young  Southern  girl,  who  had  lost  a  position  through 
five  months'  sickness,  and  found  herself,  at  last,  in  the  street 
and  penniless,  turned  her  steps  to  a  daily  prayer-meeting. 
She  said  her  earliest  impressions  from  her  mother  were,  that 
the  Lord  never  failed  those  who  really  put  their  trust  in  Him. 
She  had  sought  work  for  food  and  shelter,  though  destitute  of 
sufficient  covering  to  keep  her  from  trembling  with  cold,  and, 
so  far,  sought  in  vain ;  but  she  was  sure  it  was  waiting  for 
her  somewhere,  and  she  thought  perhaps  God's  people  could 
t-ell  her  where.  She  was  right.  A  sweet-faced  lady,  who  had 
listened,  said  she  wanted  some  young  girl  who  might  help  her 
a  little  wdien  she  left  for  her  summer  residence,  and  she  had 
been  waiting  to  find  a  child  of  pious  parents.  Bessie  went 
home  with  her  from  that  very  meeting,  and,  in  two  wrecks, - 
came  back,  with  bright  eyes  and  warm,  good  clothing,  to  say 
good-by  to  the  ladies  who  had  spoken  to  her  so  kindly,  and,  in 
whose  midst,  she  had  found  a  second  mother.  They  were  to 
leave  town  the  next  day,  and  she  asked  permission  to  come  to 
the  meeting  once  more  and  tell  what  the  Lord  had  done  for  her. 

How  Much  Good  Two  Dollars  Did. 

A  lady  sent  two  dollars  to  a  brave-hearted  sister — who,  by 
faith  alone,  and  not  by  money,  had  gathered  some  sick  and 


182  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

poor  about  her,  and  lived  only  by  prayer — and  a  note  of  apol- 
ogy and  half-contempt  that  it  was  such  a  miserable  pittance. 
She  received,  in  reply,  the  following  little  financial  statement : 

*'  My  Dear  Friend  : — Kemember  the  five  loaves  and  two 
fishes,  and  listen  to  the  message  of  your  two  dollars.  This  is 
the  way  I  expended  it : 

Corned  beef. $0  80 

Chop  and  egg  for  sick  aunty, IS 

Sweet  potatoes, 25 

White  potatoes, 10 

Cabbage  and  bread, 30 

Tea,  milk  and  sugar, 30 

$1  88 

The  balance  bought  the  coal  with  which  it  was  cooked,  and 
fifteen  people  were  fed  !  " 

Saved  from  Starvation. 

On  the  second  floor  of  a  rear  house  lived  a  lady  well  known 
once  as  among  the  foremost  members  of  a  wealthy  church. 
The  first  blow  of  adversity  opened  a  wide  passage  for  a  suc- 
cession of  disasters.  She  passed  through  the  whole  sliding 
scale,  until  the  missionary  found  her  in  the  poor,  dilapidated 
tenement  where,  for  two  days  and  nights,  she  had  lain  in  bed 
to  keep  warm  ;  or  as  nearly  so  as  her  scanty  covering  would 
admit. 

It  was  Saturday,  and  the  only  food  she  had  to  keep  her 
alive  until  Monday,  was  two  soda  biscuits !  She  had  sold  every- 
thing comfortable  in  the  way  of  furniture  ;  all  her  clothing 
but  one  respectable  suit  for  the  street,  and  the  only  thing  re- 
maining, that  pointed  to  the  history  of  better  days,  was  a  pair 
of  gold  eye-glasses,  given  her  by  her  dying  mother.  AVithin 
a  few  months  her  dire  necessity  had  often  pointed  to  the 
glasses  ;  but  she  could  not  see  without  them,  nor  could  she 
sell  the  gold  frames  unless  she  had  means  to  have  the  glass 
set  in  commoner  ones.     Moreover,  the  harpies  who  feed  and 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  183 

thrive  on  the  miseries  of  the  poor,  would  in  no  case  have  given 
her  more  than  twenty-five  cents  for  them  ;  and  the  short  res- 
pite derived  from  that  amount  would  not  have  compensated 
for  the  sacrifice.  She  had  looked  at  them  that  morning;  felt 
that  starve  she  must  and  would,  but  that  souvenir  of  her 
mother  should  never  leave  her.  She  went  back  to  bed  and 
prayed  fervently  that  the  Lord  would  show  her  some  way  of 
escape,  or  take  her  that  day  to  himself.  She  slept  an  hour  or 
two,  and  then  awakened,  strong  in  the  conviction  that  he 
would  show  her  some  way  before  night,  and  though  it  was  six 
o'clock  p.  M.,  before  the  missionary  called,  no  doubt  had  arisen 
to  trouble  her  mind;  and  as  soon  as  he  entered  and  introduced 
himelf,  she  said—"  You  are  a  messenger  from  the  Lord,  sir ; 
I  have  been  expecting  you." 

God  With  Us. 

An  old  woman  was  taking  home  some  sewing  the  night 
before,  and  passing  through  a  narrow  and  dark  street,  was 
knocked  down  by  a  runaway  horse.  Taken  up  senseless  and 
unknown,  she  was  carried  into  the  house  of  a  kind  family  who 
sent  for  a  physician.  It  was  not  till  next  morning  that  she 
recovered  consciousness,  and  was  able  to  give  her  address. 
A  messenger  was  at  once  despatched  to  her  husband,  who  was 
supposed  to  be  wild  with  terror.  He  was  truly  thankful  to 
hear  from  human  lips  of  her  whereabouts  ;  but  said  he  knew 
she  was  not  dead,  and  he  would  see  her  in  the  morning;  for 
the  Lord  had  been  with  him  all  night  and  assured  him  of  it. 
He  had  also  kept  the  fire  from  going  out;  and  now  that  she 
would  be  brought  home  in  a  few  hours,  he  was  ready  to  trust 
his  Father,  as  he  had  been  through  the  night.  His  hourly 
friend  was  Immanuel,  God  ivith  us ;  not  God  somewhere  ox 
other  in  infinite  space. 


184  ANSWERS    TO    PKAYER. 

A  Vessel  Saved. 

A  vessel  was  six  months  making  the  passage  from  Liver- 
pool to  Bermuda  Island.  Fogs  enveloped  it ;  winds  sent  it 
hither  and  thither ;  captain  and  mate  lost  their  reckoning, 
lost  their  senses ;  and  when,  added  to  the  rest,  the  vessel 
sprung  a  leak,  gave  up  in  despair.  Crew  and  passengers 
were  finally  reduced  to  a  few  drops  of  water  and  one  potato  a 
day,  and  they  merely  waited  death  from  starvation  or  drown- 
ing. All  but  one  !  One  man  ;  a  minister,  whose  faith  and 
belief  in  their  final  escape  burned  but  brighter  and  brighter, 
as  the  others  sank  in  the  gloom  of  silent  despair.  A  few  days 
before  they  made  the  land,  the  leakage  suddenly  ceased ;  no 
one  could  account  for  it ;  but  a  week  after  their  arrival,  when 
the  vessel  had  been  condemned  by  the  authorities  as  unsea- 
worthy,  it  was  proposed  to  turn  it  bottom  upward  and  see 
what  stopped  the  leak.  God  seemed  to  have  performed  a 
miracle  for  them,  when  it  was  discovered  that  that  end  of  the 
vessel  was  entirely  covered  with  barnacles  ! 

A  Remarkable  Prayer  Concerning  a  Re- 
markable Text. 

A  clergyman,  accustomed  to  preach  regularly  in  his  journey 
through  Fleming  Circuit,  Kentucky,  was  preparing  on  one 
Saturday  for  the  labors  of  the  next  day.  He  was  then  stay- 
ing at  the  residence  of  a  family  named  Bowers,  from  which 
he  was  to  journey  the  next  day  five  miles  to  preach  at  11  A.  m., 
at  a  church  called  Mt.  Olivet.  On  this  Saturday,  as  he  relates 
the  incident,  as  soon  and  as  privately  as  practicable,  I  pored 
over  the  Bible  in  quest  of  a  suitable  subject  for  the  next  day 
at  Mount  Olivet,  and  strange  to  tell !  not  one  passage  in  the 
whole  Book,  that  afternoon  and  night,  could  I  fix  upon,  as, 
in  my  estimation,  suitable  for  the  next  day.  There  was  one 
passage,  (two  or  three  clauses  of  which  I  had  by  some  means 
got  fixed  in  my  memory),  that  early  that  afternoon  appeared 


ANSWERS   TO    PRAYER.  185 

in  my  mind  as  though  each  word  was  written  in  capital 
LETTERS.  I  turned  to  the  whole  passage  as  soon  as  I  could 
find  it;  Heb.  6:4-6;  and  read,  "For  it  is  impossible  for 
those  who  were  once  enlightened,"  etc.,  etc.  I  had  previously 
studied  that  whole  subject,  as  recorded  in  the  original,  and  as 
disposed  of  by  learned  Commentators  of  different  creeds.  I 
had  settled  in  my  own  mind  the  import  of  the  passage.  But 
it  seemed  unsuitable  for  me,  not  then  three  years  old  in  the 
ministry,  to  attempt  the  settlement  of  a  theological  question, 
about  which  the  best  and  most  learned  of  modern  days  had 
differed.  I  therefore  tried  to  dismiss  it  from  my  mind,  and 
to  find  some  passage  more  suitable  for  the  coming  morrow. 
But  my  constant  effort  proved  unsuccessful ;  and  the  said 
passage  in  Hebrews  often  recurred  to  my  mind.  Thus  passed 
my  time  till  I  had  to  go  to  bed,  resolving  to  attempt  an  early 
settlement  of  the  growing  difficulty  next  morning.  But  the 
morning  studies  produced  no  change  in  the  unsettled  state  of 
the  question,  what  shall  I  preach  from  to-day  ?  Thus  mat- 
ters remained  until  I  reached  Mount  Olivet,  and  had  to  begin 
service  without  a  text.  But  I  concluded  if  a  suitable  text  did 
not  occur  while  singing,  praying  and  reading  some  Scripture 
lesson,  rather  than  have  no  text,  I  would  take  Heb.  6:  4-6. 
And,  cornered  in  this  dilemma,  so  I  did,  and  used  it  as  well 
as  I  could. 

I  then  passed  around  the  circuit  as  usual,  and  the  fourth 
Saturday  thereafter,  I  arrived  again  at  Brother  Bowers', 
l)reached,  met  the  class,  etc.  Then,  when  all  the  class  had 
left  the  room  except  their  own  family.  Brother  and  Sister 
Bowers  said  to  me,  each  manifesting  intense  feeling  and 
interest,  "Have  you  heard  of  the  strange  thing  that  happened 
when  you  were  here  four  weeks  ago  ?  "  Said  I,  "No  !  whr.t 
was  it?"  They  said,  "Did  you  see  a  man  sitting  in  the 
house  while  you  was  preaching  to-day  ?  "  describing  his  dress, 
looks,  etc.  I  answered,  "  Yes."  Said  they,  "  Did  j'ou  see  a 
woman  sitting  over  there,"  describing  her  ?  I  said,  "  Yes." 
Said  they,  "  They  are  husband  and  wife — their  name  is — (I 


186  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

have  long  since  forgotten  the  name) — they  are  good  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  their  children  are  members  of  our 
class,  as  you  have  called  their  names  every  time  you  have 
examined  us.  The  man  and  his  wife  were  here  and  heard 
you  four  weeks  ago — they  know  our  rules,  and  when  those 
not  of  our  church  were  dismissed,  they  left  their  children 
with  us,  as  usual,  and  their  parents  started  home.  And,  as 
they  themselves  tell  us  and  others,  as  they  went  along,  said 
the  woman  to  her  husband,  ^  Does  not  Mr.  Akers  preach  to- 
morrow at  Mount  Olivet  ?  '  And  he  answered,  'I  believe  he 
does.'  Said  she,  '  Well,  if  I  thought  he  would  take  a  certain 
text  I  would  like  very  much  to  go  and  hear  him.'  Said  her 
husband,  '  What  text  ? '  And  she  repeated  the  whole  passage 
in  Hebrews  6:4-6.  Said  her  husband,  'Well,  I  reckon  he 
will  take  some  subject  that  will  be  interesting,  and  if  you  say 
so  we  will  not  go  to  our  own  church  to-morrow,  we  will  go  to 
Mount  Olivet.'  She  answered,  ^Agreed,  and  I  do  pray  the 
Lord  that  he  may  take  that  text.'  And  she  says,  she  con- 
tinued to  pray  all  that  evening  and  next  morning,  until  sitting 
in  the  church  at  Mount  Olivet,  she  heard  i/ou  read  out  the 
said  text,  2vhenshe  kneiv  the  Lord  had  answered  her  prayer^ 
and  she  could  scarcely  help  from  loud  crying  of  thanks  to 
God." 

I  then  told  Brother  and  Sister  Bowsers  my  troubles  about 
that  text,  as  above  stated.     The  Lord  answers  prayer. 

How  She  Learned  to  Love  the  Bible. 

The  Bev.  Frederick  G.  Clark  thus  writes  of  an  answer  to 
prayer,  from  one  who  wanted  to  love  the  Bible  more : 

''  Twenty-seven  years  ago,  in  the  congregation  of  my  first 
charge,  was  a  lady  whose  love  for  the  Bible  was  something 
remarkable.  In  the  confidence  of  a  pastoral  visit,  she  told 
me  of  her  joy  in  the  divine  word,  and  also  recited  the  inci- 
dents of  her  experience  in  this  regard.  She  had  formerly 
read  her  Bible  as  so  many  do — a  chapter  now,  and  a  half- 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  18T 

chapter  then,  without  much  interest  or  profit.  She  was, 
even  then,  most  interested  in  religious  things.  But  her  chief 
sources  of  spiritual  strength  were  in  such  writings  as  those  of 
Baxter,  Payson  and  Kobert  Phillips.  It  was  her  custom  to 
read  the  Bible  from  duty,  and  then  turn  to  these  uninspired 
volumes  for  the  kindling  of  a  higher  devotion.  For  a  good 
while  this  satisfied  her  ;  but,  at  length,  she  came  to  feel 
grieved  about  it.  She  thought  it  a  dishonor  to  God's  word 
that  any  book  should  be  as  interesting  to  her  as  the  Bible. 
She  tried  to  change  this,  but,  at  first,  w^th  little  success. 
The  Bible  was  still  duty — Baxter  was  pleasure  and  spiritual 
elevation. 

^^  At  length,  she  could  hear  it  no  longer;  so  she  took  the  case 
to  Gody  with  strong  crying.  She  told  her  Heavenly  Father 
how  grieved  she  was  that  any  hook  should  rival  the  Bible  in 
her  affections.  She  asked  this  one  thing — and  she  renewed 
her  prayer  every  day — that  her  first  delight  might  he  in  read- 
ing the  word  of  God.  I  think  it  was  some  time  before  she 
felt  that  her  request  was  granted.  But,  at  length,  the  answer 
to  her  prayer  was  complete  and  marvelous.  A  strange  light 
came  over  the  sacred  page.  A  fascination  held  her  to  her 
Bible.  She  discovered  a  depth,  a  meaning,  a  curiosity,  a 
charm,  which  were  all  new  and  most  wonderful.  Sometimes, 
when  she  had  finished  reading  her  Bible  for  the  night,  and 
had  closed  the  book  and  had  moved  towards  her  bed,  she 
would  go  back  again  and  enjoy  the  luxury  of  a  few  more- 
Verses. 

The  Blind  Restored  to  Sight. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  years,  a  lady  in  Winchester,  Iowa, 
began  to  lose  her  health,  and  in  a  short  time  was  confined  to 
her  bed.  And  she  writes : — "  In  addition  to  this  I  lost  the 
use  of  my  eyes,  and  was  blind  and  helpless,  a  greater  portion 
of  my  time  for  five  years. 

"  I  enjoyed  the  blessing  of  prayer  and  trust  some  six  months 
before  feeling  a    liberty  to,  pray  for  the  healing  of  my  body  ; 


188  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

fearing  I  should  desire  it  without  due  submission  to  God'a 
win.  It  was  with  fear  and  tremhJiiuj  that  I  first  made  known 
this  request.  Though  my  pleadings  in  this  direction  were 
earnest,  and  often  agonizing,  yet  I  could  say  with  a  fervor 
iis  never  before,  *Not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done.' 

"  About  the  end  of  November,  or  early  in  December,  1873,  I 
realized  that  my  faith  was  perfect,  that  I  was  ready  noiv  to  be 
healed,  that  my  faith  was  momentarily  waiting  on  God,  rest- 
ing without  a  doubt  on  the  promises.  From  this  time  for- 
ward my  faith  remained  fixed  with  but  one  exception.  During 
the  time  between  December,  1873,  and  July,  1874,  I  was 
healed  to  such  an  extent  that  I  could  walk  some,  and  see  more 
or  less  every  day,  though  sometimes  with  only  one  of  my  eyes. 
A  portion  of  this  time  I  felt  as  though  in  a  furnace  of  fire; 
but  amid  the  flames  I  realized  the  presence  of  the  Son  of  God, 
who  said,  '  /  Jiave  chosen  thee  in  the  furnace  of  affliction.^ 
This  for  a  time  seemed  an  answer  to  my  petition,  and  so 
thought  it  my  life-work  to  suffer ;  for  a  while  my  faith  became 
inactive,  and  I  almost  ceased  praying  for  my  health.  Though 
I  felt  submissive,  yet  somehow  I  was  soon  crying,  and  that 
most  instinctively,  ^  Thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me.' 
After  this,  my  faith  did  not  waver.  Oh,  the  lesson  of  pa- 
tience I  learned  in  thus  vmiting  on  God's  good  time.  And 
with  what  comfort  could  I  present  my  body  an  offering  to 
Him,  realizing  that  as  soon  as  at  all  possible  with  His  will,  I 
should  be  healed ;  I  had  an  assurance  of  this,  but  did  not  know 
whether  it  would  be  during  life,  or  accomplished  only  at 
death. 

"  In  this  manner  I  waited  before  God  until  the  morning  of 
tlie  29th  of  July,  when,  without  ecstacy  of  joy,  or  extra  illumi- 
nation, came  a  sense  of  the  presence  of  Jesus,  and  a  presenta- 
tion of  this  gift,  accompanied  with  these  words:  ^Here  is  the 
gift  for  which  you  have  been  praying  ;  are  you  willing  to  re- 
ceive it  ?  ' 

"  I  at  first  felt  the  incoming  of  the  Divine  power  at  the  parts 
diseased,  steadily  driving  out  the  same,  until  lea,th  was  swal- 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  189 

lowed  up  in  victory.  I  at  once  arose  from  my  bed,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  work  about  the  house,  to  the  great  astonishment  of 
my  friends,  some  of  whom  thought  me  wild  ;  but  I  continued 
my  work,  assuring  them  that  Jesus  had  healed  me.  Kealiz- 
ing  the  scrutiny  and  doubt  with  which  I  was  observed,  I  said 
to  my  father,  ^What  do  you  think?'  He  replied,  at  is 
supernatural  power ;  no  one  can  deny  it.' 

'^  My  healing  took  place  on  Wednesday  ;  on  Saturday  was 
persuaded  to  lie  down,  which  I  did,  but  found  the  bed  was  no 
place  for  me;  thought  of  Peter's  wife's  mother,  who  ^ arose 
and  ministered  to  them  ; '  knew  that  to  her,  strength,  as  well 
as  health,  was  instantly  given,  as  in  the  case  of  the  palsied 
man,  who  rose,  took  up  his  bed,  and  departed.  I  returned 
to  my  work,  backing  my  experience  with  those  in  God's  word, 
and  since  then  have  not  lain  down  during  the  day  time. 

"  My  friends  could  not  realize  the  completeness  of  the  cure, 
until  I  read  a  full  hour,  and  that  by  lamp-light,  and  until 
asked  to  desist,  the  first  opportunity  after  being  healed. 

"  A  week  from  this  time,  I  discharged  the  hired  girl,  taking 
charge  of  the  household  work,  which  I  have  continued  with 
perfect  ease.  About  four  weeks  after  my  healing,  had  occasion 
to  walk  four  miles,  which  I  did  with  little  or  no  weariness. 
Let  me  add  to  the  praise  of  God,  that  I  have  no  disease  what- 
ever. Am  able  to  do  more  hard  work  with  less  weariness, 
than  at  any  other  period  in  my  life,  and  faith  in  the  Lord  is. 
the  balm  that  made  me  whole." 

The  Widow's  Shoes. 

A  poor  woman. — a  widow  with  an  invalid  son — a  member 
of  the  church,  could  not  attend  church,  or  the  neighborhood 
prayer-meetings,  for  the  want  of  shoes.  She  asked  the  Lord 
for  the  shoes.  That  very  day  the  village  school-master  called 
in  to  see  her  son.  Meanwhile  he  noticed  that  the  boy's 
mother  had  very  poor  shoes.  He  said  nothing,  but  felt 
impressed,  and  inwardly  resolved  to  purchase  the  poor  woman 


190  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

a  pair  of  shoes  forthwith.  He  accordingly  hired  a  horse, 
rode  two  miles  on  horseback  to  a  shoe-store,  bought  the  shoes, 
and  requested  them  sent  to  the  widow's  cottage  without  delay. 
They  proved  a  perfect  fit;  and  that  very  night  the  overjoyed 
woman  hurried  to  the  prayer-meeting  to  announce  that  in 
answer  to  prayer  the  Lord  had  sent  her  the  shoes. 

The  young  school-master,  who,  I  suspect,  was  my  inform- 
ant himself,  now  a  venerable,  white-haired  man,  heard  the 
poor  woman's  testimony;  and  his  pillow  that  night  was  wet 
with  tears  of  gratitude  and  joy  because  God  had  used  him 
ihus  to  bless  the  poor  widow,  and  to  answer  her  prayers. 

A  Remarkable  Dream. 

The  late  Dr.  Whitehead  was  accustomed  to  repeat  with 
pleasure  the  following  fact :  In  the  year  1764,  he  was  sta- 
tioned as  an  itinerant  preacher  in  Cornwall.  He  had  to 
preach  one  evening  in  a  little  village  where  there  was  a  small 
Methodist  Society,  "The  friend/'  said  he,  "at  whose  house 
we  preached,  had  at  that  time  a  daughter,  who  lived  with  one 
of  our  people  about  ten  miles  off.  His  wife  was  gone  to 
attend  her  daughter,  who  was  dangerously  ill  of  a  fever ;  and 
her  husband  had  that  day  received  a  message  from  her,  inform- 
ing him  that  his  child's  life  was  despaired  of.  He  earnes^Jy 
and  with  tears  desired  Mr.  Whitehead  to  recommend  his 
daughter  to  God  in  prayer,  both  before  and  after  preaching. 
He  did  so  in  the  most  warm  and  affectionate  manner.  Late 
that  evening,  or  very  early  next  morning,  while  the  young 
woman's  mother  was  sitting  by  her  daughter's  bedside  (wlio 
had  been  in  a  strong  delirium  for  several  days),  she  opened 
her  eyes  and  hastily  addressed  her  mother  thus  :  '  0  mother  ! 
I  have  been  dreaming  that  I  saw  a  man  lifting  up  his  eyes 
and  hands  to  heaven,  and  fervently  praying  to  God  for  my 
recovery!  The  Lord  has  heard  his  prayers,  and  my  fever  is 
gone  ;  and  what  is  far  better,  the  Lord  has  spoken  peace  to 
my  soul,  and  sealed  His  pardoning  love  on  my  heart.  I  know 
it,  I  feel  it,  my  dear  mother ;  and  His  Spirit  bears  witness 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  191 

with  my  spirit,  that  I  am  a  child  of  God,  and  an  heir  of 
glory.'  Her  mother,  thinking  that  she  was  still  in  delirium, 
desired  her  to  compose  herself,  and  remain  quiet.  The 
•daughter  replied,  '  My  dear  mother,  I  am  in  no  delirium  now  ; 
I  am  perfectly  in  my  senses ;  do  help  me  to  rise,  that  upon 
my  bended  knees  I  may  praise  God.'  Her  mother  did  so, 
and  they  both  praised  God  with  joyful  hearts,  and  from  that 
hour  the  young  woman  recovered  so  fast,  that  she  was  soon 
able  to  attend  to  the  affairs  of  the  family  where  she  lived. 
She  had  never  seen  Mr.  Whitehead,  previous  to  this  remark- 
able time  ;  but  some  weeks  after,  she  saw  him,  and  the 
moment  she  beheld  his  face,  she  fainted  away.  As  soon  as 
she  came  to  herself,  she  said,  ^  Sir,  you  are  the  person  I  saw 
in  my  dream,  when  I  was  ill  in  a  violent  fever;  and  I  beheld 
you  lift  up  your  hands  and  eyes  to  heaven,  and  most  fervently 
pray  for  my  recovery  and  conversion  to  God.  The  Lord,  in 
mercy,  heard  your  prayers,  and  answered  them  to  the  healing 
-of  my  wounded  spirit,  and  to  the  restoration  of  ray  body.  I 
have  walked  in  the  light  of  His  countenance  from  that  time 
to  the  present,  and  I  trust  I  shall  do  so  as  long  as  I  live.'  How 
remarkably  does  this  circumstance  illustrate  the  words  of  St. 
James,  '  The  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick,  and  the  Lord 
shall  raise  him  up,  and  if  he  have  committed  sins,  they  shall 
be  forgiven  him  ! ' " 

"You  Must  Not  Go." 

A  remarkable  instance  of  deep  impression  occasionally 
made  by  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  mind  of  the  Rev.  William 
Bramwell  during  prayer,  occurred  in  Liverpool.  A  pious 
young  woman,  a  member  of  Society,  wished  to  go  to  her 
friends,  then  living  in  Jamaica.  She  took  her  passage,  had 
her  luggage  taken  on  board,  and  expected  to  sail  on  the  fol- 
lowing day.  Having  the  greatest  respect  for  Mr.  Bramwell, 
she  waited  upon  him,  to  take  leave  and  request  an  interest  in 
his  prayers.     Before  parting,  they  knelt  down,  and  he  recom- 


192  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

mended  her  to  the  care  of  God.  After  he  had  been  engaged 
in  prayer  some  time,  he  suddenly  paused,  and  thus  addressed 
her,  "  My  dear  sister,  you  must  not  go  to-morrow.  God  has 
just  told  me  you  must  not  go.'.'  She  was  surprised,  but  he 
was  positive,  and  prevailed  upon  her  to  postpone  her  voyage, 
and  assisted  her  to  remove  her  luggage  out  of  the  vessel. 
The  ship  sailed,  and  in  about  six  weeks  intelligence  arrived 
that  the  vessel  was  lost,  and  all  on  board  had  perished. 

Evil  Averted. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Guide  to  Holiness  says  : 
"  We  remember  a  poor  woman  who  had  had  a  life  of  sore 
vicissitude  which  she  bore  with  remarkable  Christian  cheer- 
fulness ;  and  after  a  time  of  the  suspension  of  trial,  a  bad 
prospect  came  in  sight.  She  resorted  to  a  friend  to  whom 
she  confidingly  related  the  threatening  evil,  and  at  parting 
said,  '  Oh  pray  for  us.'  The  case  as  it  was  known  was  taken 
immediately  that  early  morning  to  the  throne  of  grace  and 
laid  out  in  all  its  circumstances  with  a  deeply  sympathizing 
heart,  and  a  consciousness  of  the  past  sufferings  of  that  woman 
— and  as  the  friend  rose  from  prayer,  the  answer  was  given 
that  the  evil  was  averted,  and  a  new  change  would  come  to 
that  afflicted  one. 

"  That  very  day  a  strange  deliverance  and  opening  appeared 
which  set  that  family  at  rest  from  their  peculiar  trials  for  the 
rest  of  life." 

How  a  Poor  Little  Cripple  Converted  a 
Village. 

Mr.  D.  L.  Moody  relates  the  instance  of  a  poor  little  crip- 
ple, whose  prayers  were  answered  to  the  conversion  of  fifty' 
six  people. 

"1  once  knew  a  little  cripple  who  lay  upon  her  deathbed. 
She  had  given  herself  to  God,  and  was  distressed  only  because 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  193 

she  could  not  labor  for  Him  actively  among  the  lost.  Her 
clergyman  visited  her,  and  hearing  her  complaint,  told  her 
from  her  sick  bed  she  could  pray  ;  to  pray  for  those  she  wished 
to  see  turning  to  God.  He  told  her  to  write  the  names  down, 
and  then  to  pray  earnestly ;  he  went  away  and  thought  of  the 
subject  no  more. 

"  Soon  a  feeling  of  religious  interest  sprang  up  in  the  village, 
and  the  churches  were  crowded  nightly.  The  little  cripple 
heard  of  the  progress  of  the  revival,  and  inquired  anxiously 
for  the  names  of  the  saved.  A  few  weeks  later  she  died,  and 
among  a  roll  of  papers  that  was  found  under  her  little  pillow, 
was  one  bearing  the  names  of  fifty-six  persons,  every  one  of 
whom  had  in  the  revival  been  converted.  By  each  name  was 
a  little  cross  by  which  the  poor  crippled  saint  had  checked 
off  the  names  of  the  converts  as  they  had  been  reported  to 
her." 

Please  God,  Give  Us  a  Home. 

Mr.  Moody  tells  of  a  beautiful  answer  to  the  faith  of  a  little 
child. 

"  I  remember  a  child  that  lived  with  her  parents  in  a  small 
village.  One  day  the  news  came  that  her  father  had  joined 
the  army  (it  was  the  beginning  of  our  war),  and  a  few  days 
after,  the  landlord  came  to  demand  the  rent.  The  mother 
told  him  she  hadn't  got  it,  and  that  her  husband  had  gone 
into  the  army.  He  was  a  hard-hearted  wretch,  and  he 
stormed,  and  said  that  they  must  leave  the  house.;  he  wasn't 
going  to  have  people  who  couldn't  pay  the  rent. 

"After  he  was  gone,  the  mother  threw  herself  into  the  arm- 
chair, and  began  to  weep  bitterly.  Her  little  girl,  whom  she 
taught  to  pray  in  faith,  (but  it  is  more  difficult  to  practice 
than  to  preach,)  came  up  to  her,  and  said,  '  What  makes  yon 
cry,  mamma,  I  unll  pray  to  God  to  give  us  a  little  Jiome,  and 
wo7iH  He  ? '  What  could  the  mother  say  ?  So  the  little 
child  went  into  the  next  room  and  began  to  pray.  The  door 
was  open,  and  the  mother  could  hear  every  word. 
13 


194  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

^^ '  0,  God,  you  have  come  and '  taken  away  father,  and 
mamma  has  got  no  money,  and  the  landlord  will  turn  us  out 
because  we  can't  pay,  and  we  will  have  to  sit  on  the  door-step, 
and  mamma  ivill  catch  cold.  Give  us  a  little  home.^  Then 
she  waited  as  if  for  an  answer,  and  then  added,  ^  WonH  you, 
please,  God  ? ' 

"  She  came  out  of  that  room  quite  happy,  expecting  a  home 
to  be  given  them.  The  mother  felt  reproved.  God  heard  the 
prayer  of  that  little  one,  for  he  touched  the  heart  of  the  cruel 
landlord,  and  she  has  never  paid  any  rent  since." 

God  give  us  the  faith  of  that  little  child,  that  we  may 
likewise  expect  an  answer,  "  nothing  wavering J^ 

"Of  Course  He  Will." 

Mr.  Moody  also  gives  the  story  of  a  little  child  whose  father 
and  mother  had  died,  and  she  was  taken  into  another  family. 
The  first  night  she  asked  if  she  could  pray,  as  she  used  to  do. 

They  said.  Oh,  yes !  So  she  knelt  down,  and  prayed  as 
her  mother  taught  her,  and  when  that  was  ended  she  added  a 
little  prayer  of  her  own:  "O/i,  God,  make  these  people  as 
kind  to  me  as  father  and  another  were.'^  Then  she  paused, 
and  looked  up,  as  if  expecting  an  answer,  and  added,  "  Of 
course  he  willJ' 

How  sweetly  simple  was  that  little  one's  faith;  she  ex- 
pected God  to  "  do,"  and  she  got  her  request. 

Striking  Answer. 

The  following  incidents  are  specially  contributed  to  these 
pages  by  Eev.  J.  S.  Bass,  a  Home  Missionary  of  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y. :  " 

"  While  living  in  Canada,  my  eldest  daughter,  then  a  girl  of 
ten  years  of  age,  rather  delicate  and  of  feeble  health,  had  a  se- 
vere attack  of  chorea,  "  St.  Vitus's  dance."  To  those  who  have 
had  any  experience  in  this  distressing  complaint,  nothing  need 


ANSWERS    TO    PKAYER.  195 

be  said  of  the  deep  affliction  of  the  household  at  the  sight  of  our 
loved  one,  as  all  her  muscles  appeared  to  be  affected,  the  face 
distorted  with  protrusion  of  the  tongue,  and  the  continuous 
involuntary  motions  by  jerks  of  her  limbs.  The  ablest  med- 
ical advice  and  assistance  were  employed,  and  all  that  the 
sympathy  of  friends  and  the  skill  of  physicians  could  do  were 
of  no  avail.  She  grew  worse  rather  than  better,  and  death  w^as 
looked  to  as  a  happy  release  to  the  sufferings  of  the  child, 
and  the  anguish  of  the  parents ;  as  the  medical  men  had  giv- 
en as  their  opinion  that  the  mind  of  the  child  would  become 
diseased,  and  if  her  life  were  lengthened,  it  would  be  an  en- 
feebled body  united  to  an  idiotic  mind. 

"  But  God  was  better  to  us  than  our  most  sanguine  hopes 
far  better  to  us  than  our  fears. 

"  In  our  trouble  we  thought  on  God,  and  asked  his  help. 
We  knew  we  had  the  prayers  of  some  of  God's  chosen  ones. 
On  a  certain  Sunday  morning  I  left  my  home  to  fill  an  ap- 
pointment in  the  Wesleyan  chapel  in  the  village  of  Cooks- 
ville,  two  miles  distant.  I  left  with  a  heavy  heart.  My 
child  was  distressing  to  look  upon,  my  wife  and  her  sister 
were  worn  out  with  watching  and  fatigue.  It  was  only  from 
a  sense  of  duty  that  I  left  my  home  that  morning.  During 
the  sermon  God  refreshed  and  encouraged  my  heart  still  to 
trust  in  him.  After  the  service,  many  of  the  congregation 
tarried  to  inquire  of  my  daughter's  condition,  among  them  an 
aged  saint,  Sister  Wilson,  widow  of  a  Wesleyan  preacher, 
and  Sister  Galbraith,  wife  of  the  class-leader.  Mother  Wil- 
son encouraged  me  to  'hope  in  God,'  saying  Hhe  sisters  of 
the  church  have  decided  to  spend  to-morrow  morning  together 
in  supplication  and  prayer  for  you  and  your  family,  and  that 
God  would  cure  Ruth.' 

"  Monday  morning  came.  Ruth  had  passed  a  restless  night. 
Weak  and  emaciated,  her  head  was  held  that  a  tea-spoonful 
of  water  should  be  given  her.  My  duties  called  me  away 
(immediately  after  breakfast)  to  a  neighbor's ;  about  noon,  a 
messenger  came,  in  great  haste,  to  call  me  home.     On  enter- 


196  ■         ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

ing  the  sick-chamber,  I  noticed  the  trundle-bed  empty,  and 
my  little  girl,  with  smiling  face,  sitting  in  a  chair  at  the  win- 
dow, (say  eight  feet  from  the  bed.)  I  learned  from  the  child 
that,  while  on  the  bed,  the  thought  came  to  her  that,  if  she 
could  only  get  her  feet  on  the  floor,  the  Lord  would  help  her 
to  sit  up.  By  an  effort,  she  succeeded,  moving  herself  to  the 
edge  of  the  bed,  put  her  legs  over  the  side  until  her  feet 
touched  the  floor,  and  sat  up.  She  then  thought,  if  she  tried, 
the  Lord  would  help  her  to  stand  up,  and  then  to  walk ;  all  of 
which  she  accomplished,  without  any  human  aid,  she  being 
left  in  the  room  alone.  The  same  afternoon  she  was  in  the 
yard  playing  with  her  brothers,  quickly  gained  flesh,  recov- 
ered strength,  with  intellect  clear  and  bright;  she  lived  to 
the  age  of  twenty-two,  never  again  afflicted  with  this  dis- 
ease, or  anything  like  it.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  lii^e  for 
heaven,  it  pleased  God  to  take  her  to  himself. 

"The  sisters,  led  by  Mother  Wilson,  waited  on  God  in 
prayer,  and  God  fulfilled  that  day  the  promise — Isaiah  65  :  24 : 
'And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  before  they  call,  I  will  an- 
swer J  and  while  they  are  yet  speaking,  I  will  hear.'  '^ 

A  Remarkable  Case. 

On  the  afternoon  of  Monday,  August  20,  1869,  I  was  sent 
for  to  visit  Mrs.  M.,  who  was  reported  to  be  very  sick.  Arriv- 
ing at  the  house,  I  was  told  that  "  Mrs.  M.,  after  a  hard  day's 
work,  had  retired  to  rest  Saturday  night  in  her  usual  state  of 
health,  that  immediately  after  getting  in  bed  she  had  fallen 
asleep  and  had  not  awoke  up  to  this  time,  (6  o'clock  Monday 
evening,)  that  three  physicians  had  been  in  attendance  for 
30  hours,  that  all  their  efforts  to  arouse  her  were  without 
avail." 

In  the  chamber,  Mrs.  M.  lay  in  the  bed  apparently  in  a 
troubled  sleep,  she  was  a  woman  of  medium  size,  about  50 
years  of  age,  the  mother  of  a  large,  family ;  around  her  bed 
stood  her  husband,  four  sons  and  a  daughter,  and  relatives. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  197 

about  twelve  persons  in  all.  The  husband  and  sons  were 
irreligious,  but  awed  in  the  presence  of  this  affliction. 

I  felt,  as  perhaps  I  never  felt  before,  my  ignorance,  my 
helplessness,  and  the  necessity  of  entire  dependence  on  God 
for  guidance  and  inspiration,  that  prayer  should  be  made  in 
accordance  with  his  will. 

I  knelt  at  the  bedside  and  held  the  woman's  hand  in  mine, 
lifted  up  my  heart  to  God  and  prayed,  "  If  it  be  thy  will  and 
for  thy  glory,  and  for  the  good  of  this  family,  grant  that  this 
woman  may  once  more  open  her  eyes  to  look  upon  her  chil- 
<lren,  once  more  open  her  lips  in  counsel  and  holy  admonition." 
AVhile  thus  praying,  as  I  believe,  inspired  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  and  with  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  I  was  conscious  of  a 
movement  around  me,  and  opening  my  eyes,  I  saw  Mrs.  M. 
•sitting  up  in  bed.  Some  of  the  persons  in  the  room  were 
weeping,  others  laughing ;  the  sons  came  nearer  the  bed,  and 
asked,  "  Mother,  do  you  know  me  ?  do  you  know  me  ?  "  She 
called  each  by  name,  and  beckoned  to  her  daughter,  held  her 
by  the  hand.  I,  poor  faithless  one,  was  wondering  what  does 
this  mean  ?  One  of  the  sons  took  me  by  the  hand  saying, 
■"  Oh  !  Mr.  Bass,  God  heard  and  answered  that  prayer."  I 
sung  the  hymn,  ^'  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood,"  Mrs. 
M.  singing  to  the  close,  and  then,  apparently  exhausted,  sank 
back  on  the  pillow,  speechless  and  unconscious.  The  physi- 
cians were  sent  for,  came,  wondered,  speculated,  administered 
medicine,  blistered  the  calves  of  the  legs,  and  cupped  the  back 
of  the  neck,  but  to  no  purpose.  She  remained  in  speechless 
unconsciousness  till  the  next  afternoon,  when,  while  prayer 
was  being  made,  she  again  opened  her  eyes,  sat  up  and  con- 
versed with  her  children  and  friends.  In  a  few  days  she  re- 
sumed her  household  duties,  enjoying  a  good  degree  of  health 
and  strength,  and  faithfully  serving  God  and  her  generation 
until  it  pleased  God  to  call  her  home  to  the  rest  prepared  for 
the  people  of  God,  three  years  after  the  incident,  the  subject 
of  this  paper. 


198  ANSWERS    TO)   PKAYEB* 

A  Little  Girl's  Beautiful  Faith. 

A  little  German  girl,  who  had  never  hitherto  known  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  was  led  to  attend  a  Mission  school. 
It  was  the  custom  at  the  school,  before  the  little  ones  re- 
ceived their  dinner,  to  lift  their  hands  and  thank  God  for 
their  food. 

When  in  course  of  time  she  spent  her  days  at  home,  and 
her  father's  family  were  gathered  around  their  own  table,  this 
little  girl  said : 

"  Pa,  ive  must  hold  up  our  hands  and  tJiank  God  before  ive 
eat.     That's  the  way  we  do  at  the  Mission."' 

So  winning  was  the  little  one  in  her  ways,  the  parents 
yielded  at  once. 

At  another  time  her  father  was  sick  and  unable  to  work, 
and  the  little  girl  said,  "  Pa,  I'm  going  to  pray  that  you  may 
get  well  and  go  to  work  to-morroiv  m^omingJ^ 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  she  awoke  and  called  out, 
J^  Pa,  donH  you  feel  better."  The  father  said,  "  Yes,  I  am 
better,"  and  he  went  to  his  work  in  the  morning,  although 
weak  and  obliged  to  rest  by  the  way. 

There  came  a  time  once  when  he  could  not  get  work,  and 
there  was  no  food  in  the  house  for  dinner. 

This  little  girl  knelt  down  and  asked  God  to  send  them 
their  dinner,  and  when  she  rose  from  her  knees,  she  said,. 
*'  Now  we  must  wait  till  the  whistle  blows,  till  12  o'clock." 

At  twelve  o'clock  the  whistle  blew,  and  the  little  girl  said, 
^^  Get  the  table  ready,  it  is  coming,"  and  just  then  in  came  a 
neighbor  with  soup  for  their  dinner. 

The  Lord  Helps  to  Pay  Debts. 

The  author  of  this  incident  is  known  to  the  editor  of  "Ke~ 
markable  Providences,"  and  speaking  of  it  says :  "  God 
never  gave  me  exactly  what  I  wanted.     He  always  gave  me 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  199 

"When  I  married  I  was  a  working  man ;  I  had  not  much 
money  to  spare.  In  about  three  months  after  my  marriage, 
I  fell  ill,  and  my  illness  continued  for  more  than  nine  months. 
At  that  period  I  was  in  great  distress.  I  owed  a  sum  of 
money  and  had  no  means  to  pay  it.  It  must  be  paid  on  a 
certain  day,  or  I  must  go  to  jail.  I  had  no  food  for  myself 
or  wife;  and  in  this  distress  I  went  up  to  my  room,  and  took 
my  Bible.  I  got  down  on  my  knees  and  opened  it,  laid  my 
fingers  on  several  of  the  promises,  and  claimed  them  as  mine. 
I  said,  'Lord,  this  is  thine  own  word  of  promise;  I  claim  thy 
promises.'  I  endeavored  to  lay  hold  of  them  by  faith.  I 
wrestled  with  God  for  sometime  in  this  way.  I  got  up  off 
my  knees,  and  walked  about  some  time.  I  then  went  to  bed, 
and  took  my  Bible,  and  opened  it  on  these  words :  '  Call 
upon  vie  171  the  day  of  trouble,  and  I  ivill  deliver'  thee,  and 
thou  shall  glorify  me.'' 

"I  said,  'it  is  enough,  Lord.'  I  knew  deliverance  would 
come,  and  I  praised  God  with  my  whole  heart.  Whilst  in 
this  frame  of  mind  I  heard  a  knock  at  the  door.  I  went 
and  opened  it  and  a  man  handed  me  a  letter.  I  turned  to 
look  at  the  letter,  and  when  I  looked  up  again,  the  man  was 
gone. 

"  The  letter  contained  the  sum  I  wanted,  and  five  shillings 
over.  It  is  now  eighteen  years  ago.  I  never  knew  who  sent 
it.  God  only  knows.  Thus  God  delivered  me  out  of  all  my 
distress.     To  Him  be  all  the  praise.'^ 

Praying  for  a  Lost  Pocket-Book. 

A  contributor  to  The  Christian  writes  as  follows : 

"  A  few  months  since  I  lost  my  pocket-book,  -containing 

money  and  papers  of  a  large  amount — more  than  J  felt  able 

to  lose — and  which  I  should  feel  the  loss  of,  as  I  was  owing 

at  that  time  about  the  same  amount. 

"  On  the  day  of  my  loss,  I  had  been  from  hom«  about  a  mile 

and  a  half,  and  it  was  about  9  o'clock  in  the  everiing,  when 


200  ANSWERS    TO    PKAYER. 

I  returned.  And  it  was  not  till  then  that  I  ascertained  my 
loss. 

"  My  health  was  very  poor,  and  the  prospect  of  regaining  the 
lost  pocket-book  was  quite  uncertain;  it  was  so  dark  that 
I  thought  it  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  find  it.  Conse- 
quently I  determined  to  remain  awake  during  the  night,  and 
at  3  o'clock  in  the  morning  search  for  it,  and  if  possible,  find 
it  before  any  one  should  pass  over  the  road. 

"  The  seeming  impossibility  of  finding  it,  and  the  reflections 
consequent  upon  the  loss  of  the  money  were  so  unpleasant  to 
me  that  I  was  led  to  make  it  a  subject  of  prayer,  fully  trusting 
that  in  some  way  God  would  so  direct  that  I  should  come  in 
possession  of  it.     If  so,  I  determined  to  give  him  ^25  of  it. 

"  As  soon  as  I  had  formed  this  purpose,  all  that  unpleasant 
feeling  left  me,  and  I  did  not  admit  a  single  doubt  but  I 
should  get  it. 

"  Accordingly,  at  3  o'clock  in  tlie  morning  I  made  a  thorough 
search,  but  could  not  find  it.  Yet  my  faith  in  God's  guid- 
ing hand  did  not  fail  me,  and  I  believed  that  my  trust  would 
be  realized. 

"  While  I  was  thus  thinking  of  the  certainty  of  the  fulfill- 
ment of  the  promises  of  the  Gospel  to  the  believer,  I  was  called 
on  by  a  gentleman,  a  leading  business  man  of  the  place,  who 
came  to  know  if  /  had  lost  anything. 

"  I  told  him  I  had  lost  my  pocket-book.  He  wanted  to  know 
how  much  it  contained.  I  told  him.  He  said  his  son  had 
occasion  to  pass  early  on  that  morning,  and  had  found  it 
in  the  road,  and  that  in  all  probability  I  should  otherwise 
have  lost  it,  as  two  men  passed  by  immediately  after  it  was 
found. 

"  Thus  God  found  it  and  returned  it  to  me/' 


A  ,  i 


An    Extraordinary  Life  of  Faith   and 
Trust. 

For  many  centuries  there  has  not  been  a  more  remarkable 
testimony  of  unfaltering  trust  in  the  faithfulness  of  God  in 
supplying  human  wants,  than  is  found  in  the  life  and  labor  of 
George  Muller  and  his  Orphan  Home,  in  Bristol,  England. 
His  record  is  one  of  humility,  yet  one  of  daily  dependence 
upon  the  providence  and  the  knowledge  of  God  to  supply  his 
daily  wants.  It  has  been  one  of  extraordinary  trial ;  yet 
never,  for  a  single  hour,  has  God  forsaken  him.  Beginning,  in 
1834,  with  absolutely  nothing;  giving  himself,  his  earthly  all 
and  his  family  to  the  Lord,  and  asking  the  Lord's  pleasure 
and  blessing  upon  his  work  of  philanthrophy,  he  has  never, 
for  once,  appealed  to  any  individual  for  aid,  for  assistance, 
for  loans ;  but  has  relied  wholly  in  prayer  to  the  Lord — com- 
ing with  each  day's  cares  and  necessities — and  the  Lord  has 
over  supplied.  He  has  never  borrowed,  never  been  in  debt ; 
living  only  upon  what  the  Lord  has  sent — yet  in  the  forty- 
third  year  of  his  life  of  faith  and  trust — he  has  been  able, 
through  the  voluntary  contributions  which  the  Lord  ha  5 
prompted  the  hearts  of  the  people  to  give,  to  accomplisli 
these  wonderful  results  :  Ove?'  half  a  million  dollars  have 
been  spent  in  the  construction  of  buildings — over  fifteen 
thousand  orphans  have  been  cared  for  and  supported — and 
^ver  one  million  dollars  have  been  received  for  their  support. 


202  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Every  dollar  of  which  has  been  asked  for  in  believing  prayer 
from  the  Lord.  The  record  is  the  most  astounding  in  the 
faith  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  the  power  and  providence 
of  God  to  answer  prayer,  that  modern  times  can  show. 

The  orphans'  homes  have  been  visited  again  and  again  by 
Christian  clergymen  of  all  denominations,  to  feel  the  positive 
satisfaction  and  certainty  that  all  this  were  indeed  the  work 
of  prayer,  and  they  have  been  abundantly  convinced. 

The  spectacle  is  indeed  a  standing  miracle.  "A  man 
sheltering,  feeding,  clothing,  educating,  and  making  comfort- 
able and  happy,  hundreds  of  poor  orphan  children,  with  no 
funds  of  his  own,  and  no  possible  means  of  sustenance,  save 
that  which  God  sent  him  in  answer  to  prayer.^^ 

An  eminent  clergyman  who  for  five  years  had  been  con- 
stantly hearing  of  this  work  of  faith,  and  could  hardly  believe 
in  its  possibility,  at  last  visited  Mr.  Muller's  home  for  the 
purpose  of  thorough  investigation,  exposing  it,  if  it  were 
under  false  pretenses  or  mistaken  ways  of  securing  public 
sympathy,  or  else  with  utmost  critical  search,  desired  to  be- 
come convinced  it  was  indeed  supported  only  by  true  prayer. 
He  had  reserved  for  himself,  as  he  says,  a  wide  margin  for  de- 
ductions and  disappointment,  but  after  his  search,  as  ^^  I  left 
Bristol,  I  exclaimed  ivith  the  queen  of  Sheba,  *  The  half  had 
not  been  told  me.^  Here  I  saw^  indeed,  seven  hundred  orphan 
children  fed  and  provided  for,  by  the  hand  of  God,  in  ansiver 
to  prayer,  as  literally  and  truly  as  Elijah  tuas  fed  by  ravens 
with  meat  ivhich  the  Lord  provided^ 

Mr.  Muller  himself  has  said  in  regard  to  their  manner  of 
living  :  "  Greater  and  more  manifest  nearness  of  the  Lord's 
presence  I  have  never  had,  than  ivhen  after  breakfast,  there 
were  no  means  for  dinner,  and  then  the  Lord  provided  the 
dinner  for  more  than  one  hundred  persons  ;  and  ivhen  after 
dinner,  there  ivere  no  means  for  the  tea,  and  yet  the  Lord 
provided  the  tea;  and  all  this  ivithout  one  single  human 
being  having  been  informed  about  our  needP 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  his  life  is  one  of  daily  trial  and  trust,. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  203 

and  he  says,  "  Our  desire  therefore,  is,  not  that  we  may  be 
Avithout  trials  of  faith,  hut  that  the  Lord  graciously  would  be 
pleased  to  support  us  in  the  trial,  that  we  may  not  dishonor 
him  by  distrust." 

The  question  having  been  asked  of  him,  "  Such  a  way  of 
living  must  lead  the  mind  continually  to  think  whence  food, 
clothes,  etc.,  are  to  come,  with  no  benefit  for  spiritual  exer- 
cise," he  replies  :  "  Our  minds  are  very  little  tried  about  the 
necessaries  of  life  ;  just  because  the  care  respecting  them  is 
laid  upon  our  Father,  who,  because  we  are  his  children,,  not 
only  allows  us  to  do  so,  hut  will  have  us  to  do  so. 

"  It  must  also  be  remembered  that  even  if  our  minds  were 
much  tried  about  our  supplies,  yet  because  we  look  to  the 
Lord  alone  for  all  these  things,  we  should  be  brought  by  our 
sense  of  need,  into  the  presence  of  our  Father  for  the  supply 
of  it,  and  that  is  a  blessing,  and  satisfying  to  the  soul." 

This  humble  statement  from  the  experience  of  one  who  has 
tried  and  proven  the  Lord  in  little  things,  as  well  as  large, 
conveys  to  the  Christian  that  world  of  practical  instruction 
which  is  contained  in  the  precepts  of  the  Bible,  viz:  to 
encourage  all  to  cast  their  cares  on  God;  and  teaches  them 
the  lessons  of  their  dependence  upon  Him  for  their  daily  sup- 
plies. 

The  meaning  of  the  Lord's  blessing  upon  the  work  of  Mr. 
MuUer,  is  to  make  it  a  standing  example  and  illustration  to- 
be  adopted  in  every  Christian  home.  "  Hoiv  God  supplies 
our  needs,  how  he  rewards  faith,  how  he  cares  for  those  who 
trust  in  Him.  How  he  can  as  well  take  care  of  his  children 
to-day  as  he  did  i?i  the  days  of  the  Prophets,  and  how  surely 
he  fulfills  his  promise,  even  when  the  trial  hriyigs  us  to  the 
extremities  of  circumstances  seemingly  impossible^ 

Mr.  Muller's  experience  is  remarkable,  not  because  the 
Lord  has  made  his  an  exceptional  case  for  the  bestowal  of 
blessings,  but  because  of  the  remarkable,  unwavering  and 
pjersevering  apjplication  of  his  faith,  by  the  man  himself. 

His  faith  began  with  small  degrees^  and  small  hopes.     It 


S04  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

was  painfully  tried.  But  it  clung  hopefully,  and  never  failed 
to  gain  a  triumph.  Each  trial  only  increased  its  tenacity,  and 
l)rought  him  greater  humility,  for  it  opened  his  own  heart 
to  a  sense  of  his  own  powerlessness,  and  this  faith  has  grown 
with  work  and  trial,  till  its  strength  is  beyond  all  precedent. 

The  lessons  which  the  Lord  wishes  each  one  to  take  from  it, 
is  this  :  ^'Be  your  faith  little  or  tveak,  never  give  it  %ip  ;  ap- 
yly  my  jiromises  to  all  your  needs,  and  expect  their  fulfillment. 
Little  things  are  as  sacred  as  great  things.^' 

In  the  journal  kept  by  Mr.  Muller  during  his  many  years 
•of  experience,  he  has  preserved  many  incidents  of  answer  to 
prayer  in  small  matters,  of  which  we  quote  the  following  from 
his  book.     "  The  Power  of  Faith  and  FrayerT 

1.  ''  One  of  the  orphan  boys  needed  to  be  apprenticed.  I 
knew  of  no  suitable  believing  master  who  would  take  an  in- 
<loor  apprentice.  I  gave  myself  to  prayer,  and  brought  the 
matter  daily  before  the  Lord.  At  last,  though  I  had  to  pray 
about  the  matter  from  May  21  to  September,  the  Lord  grant- 
'ed  my  request,  and  I  found  a  suitable  place  for  him. 

2.  I  asked  the  Lord  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  deliver 
a  certain  sister  in  the  Lord  from  the  great  spiritual  depres- 
sion under  wliich  she  was  suffering,  and  after  three  days  the 
Lord  granted  my  request. 

3.  I  asked  the  Lord  daily  in  his  mercy  to  keep  a  sister  in 
the  Lord  from  insanity,  who  was  then  apparently  on  the 
border  of  it.  I  have  now  to  record  his  praise,  after  nearly 
four  years  have  passed  away,  that  the  Lord  has  kept  her 
from  it. 

4.  During  this  year  has  occurred  the  conversion  of  one 
of  the  greatest  sinners  that  I  had  ever  heard  of  in  all  my 
service  for  the  Lord.  Kepeatedly  I  fell  on  my  knees  with 
liis  wife,  and  asked  the  Lord  for  his  conversion,  when  she 
•came  to  me  in  the  deepest  distress  of  soul,  on  account  of 
the  most  barbarous  and  cruel  treatment  that  she  had  received 
from  him  in  his  bitter  enmity  against  her  for  the  Lord's  sake. 
And  now  the  awful  persecutor  is  converted. 


ANSWERS.   TO    PRAYER.  205, 

5.  It  pleased  the  Lord  to  try  my  faith  in  a  way  in  which 
before,  it  had  not  been  tried.  My  beloved  daughter  was  taken 
ill  on  June  20.  This  illness,  at  first  a  low  fever,  turned  to 
typhus,  and  July  3  there  seemed  7io  liope  of  her  recovery. 

Now  was  the  trial  of  faith,  but  faith  triumphed.  My  wife. 
and  I  were  enabled  to  give  her  up  into  the  hands  of  the 
Lord.     He  sustained  us  both  exceedingly. 

She  continued  very  ill  till  about  July  20,  when  restoration 
began.  On  August  18,  she  was  so  far  restored  that  she 
could  be  removed  to  Clevedon  for  change  of  air.  It  was  then. 
59  days  since  she  was  taken  ill. 

6.  The  heating  apparatus  of  our  Orphan  Home  unex-. 
pectedly  gave  out.  It  was  the  commencement  of  Winter.  To 
repair  the  leak  was  a  questionable  matter.  To  put  in  a  new 
boiler  would  in  all  probability  take  many  weeks.  Workmen 
were  sent  for  to  make  repairs.  But  on  the  day  fixed  for  re-, 
pairs  a  hleak  north  wind  set  inJ' 

Now  came  cold  weather,  the  fire  must  be  put  out,  the  repairs, 
could  not  be  put  off.  Gladly  would  I  have  paid  one  hun- 
dred pounds  if  thereby  the  difficulty  could  have  been  over^ 
come,  and  the  children  not  be  exposed  to  suffer  for  many  days 
from  living  in  cold  rooms. 

At  last  I  determined  on  falling  entirely  into  the  hands  of 
God,  who  is  very  merciful  and  of  tender  compassion.  I  now 
asked  the  Lord  for  two  things,  viz.:  "  That  He  would  be 
pleased  to  change  the  iiorth  wind  into  a  south  luijid,  and  that 
he  would  give  the  workmen  a  mind  to  work. 

Well,  the  memorable  day  came.  The  evening  before,  tha 
bleak  north  wind  blew  still ;  but  on  the  Wednesday  the  south 
wind  blew  exactly  as  I  had  yrayed.  The  weather  was  so  mild 
that  no  fire  was  needed. 

About  half-past  eight  in  the  evening,  the  principal  of  the 
firm  whence  the  boiler-makers  came,  arrived  to  see  how  the 
work  was  going  on,  and  whether  he  could  in  any  way  speed 
the  matter. 

The  principal  went  with   me  to  see  his  men ;  to  the  fore-^ 


206  Ai^^SWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

man  of  whom  lie  said  :   "  The  men  will  work  late  this  evening, 
and  come  very  early  again  to-morrow." 

"  We  ivould  rather,^^  said  the  leader,  "  ivork  all  ni(jhtJ^ 
Then  remembered  I  the  second  part  of  my  prayer,  that 
God  would  give  the  men  a  mind  to  work.  By  morning  the 
repair  was  accomplished,  the  leak  was  stopped,  and  in  thirty 
hours  the  fire  was  again  in  the  boiler;  and  all  the  time  the 
south  wind  blew  so  mildly  that  there  was  not  the  least  need 
of  a  fire. 

7.  In  the  year  1865,  the  scarlet  fever  broke  out  in  several 
of  the  Orphan  Homes.  In  one  of  which  were  four  hundred 
girls,  and  in  the  other  four  hundred  and  fifty.  It  appeared 
among  the  infants.  The  cases  increased  more  and  more. 
But  we  betook  ourselves  to  God  in  prayer.  Day  by  day  we 
called  upon  Him  regarding  this  trial,  and  generally  two  or 
three  times  a  day.  At  last,  when  the  infirmary  rooms  were 
filled,  and  some  other  rooms  that  could  be  spared  for  the 
occasion,  to  keep  the  sick  children  from  the  rest,  and  when 
we  had  no  other  rooms  to  spare,  at  least  not  without  incon- 
venience, it  pleased  the  Lord  to  answer  our  prayers,  and  in 
mercy  stay  the  disease.  The  disease  was  very  general  in  the 
town  of  Bristol,  and  many  children  died  in  consequence.  But 
not  one  in  thz  Orphan  Home  died.     All  recovered. 

At  another  date,  the  whooping-cough  also  broke  out  among 
the  four  hundred  and  fifty  girls  of  our  Home,  and  though 
many  were  dying  in  the -towns  of  the  same  disease,  yet  all  in 
the  Orphan  Home  recovered  except  one  little  girl  who  had 
very  weak  lungs,  a  constitutional  tendency  to  consumption. 

8.  In  the  early  part  of  one  Summer,  it  was  found  that  we 
had  several  boys  ready  to  be  apprenticed,  but  there  were  no 
applications  made  by  masters  for  apprentices.  This  was  no 
small  difficulty,  as  the  master  must  be  also  willing  to  receive 
the  apprentice  into  his  own  family.  We  again  gave  our- 
selves to  prayer,  instead  of  advertising.  Some  weeks  passed, 
but  the  difficulty  remained.  "We  continued  in  prayer,  and 
then  one  application  was  made  for  an  apprentice,  and  from 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  207 

the  time  we  first  began,  we  have  been  able  to  find  j^laces  for 
eighteen  boys." 

Tlie  Consumptive' s  Home. 

In  the  United  States  there  is  a  Parallel  Record  to  George 
Mnller's  Life  of  Faith  and  Trust,  found  in  the  history  of  the 
Consumptive's  Home  of  Boston,  Mass.  It  was  established 
twelve  years  since  by  Doctor  Cullis,  who  in  the  ardor  of  his 
faith  and  trust  gave  himself  to  the  work  of  the  Lord,  by  min- 
istering in  Jesus'  Name,  to  the  poor  consumptives  who  were 
unable  to  provide  for  themselves.  Doctor  Cullis  is  a  man  of 
humility,  and  devoted  to  his  life  work,  and  has  been  most 
abundantly  blessed  by  the  Lord  in  his  field.  To  the  honor 
and  glory  of  our  Heavenly  Father,  he  has  never  been  for- 
saken by  Him. 

The  Institution  began  twelve  j-ears  ago,  in  small  quarters. 
Xow  it  embraces  a  very  large  gathering  of  useful  enterprises  : 
A  Consumptive's  Home,  Children's  Home,  Grove  Hall  Church, 
Tract  Rejoositorij,  a  Training  College,  and  a  Cancer  Home. 
The  means  provided  have  all  been  sent  by  the  Lord,  who  has 
prompted  the  hearts  of  good  people  to  send  to  it  their  volun- 
tary contributions. 

There  is  no  financial  fund,  endowment,  or  pecuniary  pro- 
vision whatever  existing  for  the  support  of  the  Home.  No 
individuals  have  made  any  agreement  for  its  support;  there  is 
no  trade  or  occupation  used  or  connected  with  it,  whereby  to 
obtain  any  remuneration.  There  has  never  been  any  appeal 
to  man  for  assistance,  no  subscriptions  ever  taken,  no  contri- 
butions solicited,  either  publicly  or  privately ;  there  are  no 
agencies  or  connections  to  receive  funds  from  any  religious 
society  for  procuring  charitable  relief. 

The  supplies  for  the  carrying  on  of  this  work,  during  these 
twelve  years,  have  been  wholly  in  answer  to  believing  prayer, 
to  the  Lord. 

They  have  fulfilled  faithfully  the  Lord's  commands,  ^'  Cast 


208  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER* 

all  your  cares  on  Him,  for  he  careth  for  youP  They  have 
also  pleaded  in  faith,  without  a  doubt,  ^^  Any  tiling  ye  shall  as''z 
the  Father  in  my  name,  I  ivill  do  it.^'  And  they  have  asked 
and  received,  and  the  Provider  has  never  yet  failed  them. 

During  the  twelve  years'  time  there  has  been  sent  to  the 
Consumptive's  Home,  without  any  solicitation  whatever,  but 
in  answer  to  believing  prayer  and  faith  and  trust  in  God's 
providence,  a  sum  no  less  than  three  hundred  and  sixty  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  over  fifteen  hundred  patients  have  heen  gra- 
tuitously cared  for.  No  one  has  been  urged,  asked,  or  even 
hinted  to  contribute  to  it.  Each  morning,  noon  and  night 
prayer  has  been  offered  to  send  means  to  j^rovide  for  their 
daily  wants,  and  the  Great  Shepherd  has  sent  the  supplies. 

During  these  twelve  years,  the  experiences  of  Doctor  Cul- 
lis,  the  founder,  have  been  most  remarkable  in  the  frequent 
answers  to  prayer  in  minute  details  of  life,  and  especially  in 
healing.  There  are  so  many  such  cases,  that  there  is  no  pos- 
sible room  to  doubt.  There  have  often  been  moments,  yes, 
days  of  distress  and  intense  trial,  when,  w^ith  not  a  single 
penny  on  hand,  it  seemed  as  if  failure  had  come ;  but  faith 
could  not  let  the  promise  go,  neither  was  it  possible  for  them 
to  believe  that  He  who  could  do  so  much,  would  forsake  so 
good  a  work,  which  was  undertaken  only  in  obedience  to  the 
guidance  and  direction  of  the  Lord ;  and  God  has  always 
brought  deliverance,  and  honored  them  and  brought  glory 
to  his  own  name. 

In  the  daily  history  of  these  struggles  and  trials  and 
triumphs  of  faith,  are  found  many  surprising  incidents,  a 
few  of  which  we  relate. 


A  Bad  Debt  Paid. 

"To-day  a  bill  was  paid  of  $31,  which  T  had  given  up  as 
good  for  nothing.  A  long  time  ago  I  gave  it  to  the  Lord  in 
prayer,  and  promised  Him  if  it  was  ever  canceled  that  it 
should  be  His.'' 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  209 

Help  in  Need. 

"  The  sums  received  for  several  days  had  been  small.  Oi  i© 
day  as  the  Doctor  was  in  prayer  for  his  needs,  he  received  a 
note  from  a  lady  asking  him  to  call  at  her  house,  naming  the 
day  and  the  hour.  At  the  time  appointed  he  called,  and 
found  the  lady  sick  in  consumption,  near  to  death.  She  said 
she  had  some  money  which  she  wished  to  dispose  of  before 
her  death.  She  placed  in  his  hand  a  five  hundred  dollar 
note.  It  was  her  last  gift.  She  had  received  it  from  the 
hand  of  the  Lord,  and  she  returned  it  to  Him  again.'^ 

Praying  for  Stoves. 

"  This  afternoon,  knowing  the  necessity  of  stoves  for  some 
of  the  upper  rooms,  as  the  weather  is  quite  cool,  I  went  to  the 
Lord,  in  prayer,  and  told  him  of  our  need,  praying  Him  in 
one  way  to  supply  us. 

"  I  then  went  down  town  to  a  friend,  to  look  at  stoves  and 
inquire  the  price,  when  he  said,  Hhat's  all  right,  I  shall  not 
charge  anything,'  and  said  he  would  see  that  they  were  put 
up.  This  man  knew  nothing  of  our  great  need  ;  he  had  never 
visited  the  Home,  knew  but  little  about  it,  and  not  a  word 
did  he  know  of  the  state  of  my  purse.  "  The  Lord  inclined 
the  man's  heart  to  give  the  stoves." 

Praying  for  a  Furnace. 

"I  am  earnestly  praying  for  the  means  to  purchase  a  fur- 
nace, for  we  cannot  receive  patients  into  the  new  Home  until 
it  can  be  warmed.  I  am  looking  to  the  Lord,  and  He  will 
help." 

Seven  days  later.  "  A  gentleman  has  this  day  ordered  a 
furnace  to  be  put  in,  with  fourteen  tons  of  coal  at  his  expense. 
I  will  here  say  that  his  attention  was  not  called  to  our  need, 
but  he  asked  how   the  house  was  to  be  warmed ;    he    then 


210  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

learned  of  our  want,  and  ordered  as  above.     Truly,  '  Whoso- 
ever believetli  in  Him  shall  not  be  confounded.'  " 


The  Lord's  Return  for  Giving  unto  the 
Poor. 

"  This  afternoon  a  poor  woman,  whose  history  I  have  known 
for  some  time,  and  who  has  a  sick  husband  over  eighty  years 
of  age,  called  on  me,  stating  that  she  had  only  a  ten-cent 
loaf  of  bread  for  herself  and  her  husband  to  eat  since  Wednes- 
da3^,  and  to-day  is  Saturday. 

'^Notwithstanding  my  own  need,  I  felt  that  I  could  not 
withhold  from  one  in  greater  straits  than  myself,  so  in  Christ's 
name,  I  gave  her  enough  to  procure  necessary  food  for  a  few 
days.  The  Lord  did  not  forget  it,  but  this  evening  has  re- 
turned the  amount  with  bountiful  interest.  For  the  turn 
I  gave  Him,  He  has  sent  me  $40.  '  There  is  that  scattereth 
yet  increaseth.'  " 

A  Watch  given  to  the  Lord— How  the  Lord 
returns  a  better  one. 

*^  Last  year,  during  a  season  of  great  need,  I  sold  my  watch  ; 
yesterday,  the  Lord  returned  it  by  a  gift  of  a  much  better 
one  from  a  friend,  who  had  purchased  it  abroad,  knowing 
nothing  of  my  need,  thus  proving,  'He  that  soweth  bounti- 
fully, shall  reap  also  bountifully.'  " 

The  Lord  G-ave  Double  what  was  Asked 

for. 

"  This  morning  and  noon  I  called  upon  the  Lord  in  prayer 
for  the  means  to  pay  a  bill  of  $100.  By  three,  p.  m.,  a  check 
was  sent  me  of  $200." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  211 

Blessings  amid  Calamities. 

^'  The  roof  of  one  of  our  houses  having  caught  fire  from  a 
spark  from  a  neighbor's  chimney,  it  was  mostly  destroyed ; 
some  of  the  furniture,  and  the  whole  home  badly  damaged  by 
water.  All  hearts  thanked  the  Lord  the  circumstances  were 
no  worse.  In  the  midst  of  our  calamity,  blessings  surrounded 
us.  An  unknown  donor  sends  in  20  tons  of  coal.  For  weeks 
I  have  been  praying  for  the  means  to  purchase  our  Winter 
fuel,  and  now  the  Lord  has  inclined  the  heart  of  an  unknown 
friend  to  supply  our  need.'^ 

A  Remarkable  Promise. 

At  one  period  in  the  history  of  the  Consumptive's  Home, 
a  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars  placed  in  the  safe,  and  re- 
served to  be  used  for  payment  on  the  purchase  of  a  new 
building  was  stolen,  and  there  was  not  left  a  single  dollar; 
every  penny  was  gone. 

Nothing  daunted,  again  going  to  the  Lord,  and  pleading 
the  Lord's  own  promise,  *'  If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words 
abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask  ivhat  ye  will  and  it  shall  be  done 
unto  youP  The  request  was  made  in  prayer  for  the  three 
thousand  dollars,  and  the  promise  of  the  amount  was  definitely 
made  to  be  paid  out  a  certain  day. 

The  day  came.  Before  it  had  arrived,  the  Lord  had  sent 
the  three  thousand  dollars  with  unusual  contributions,  and 
both  the  promises  of  the  Lord  and  that  of  his  children  were 
kept. 

The  ordinary  business  man  would  have  said  it  was  foolish- 
ness for  a  poor  man,  with  not  a  penny  in  the  world,  all  his 
means  stolen  from  him,  to  positively  promise  on  a  certain 
day  the  next  month,  to  pay  so  large  a  sum,  exactly  the  same 
as  was  stolen. 

The  skeptic  would  have  said,  "  A.11  foolish  to  plead  before 
an  unseen  God,  and  ask  for  such  a  sum.     You  will  never  get 


212  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

it.  Why  didn't  your  God  prevent  your  money  from  being- 
stolen.  If  your  Bible  is  true,  he  ought  to  have  protected  you 
from  loss." 

The  answer  to  all  these  is  thus :  The  Doctor  did  trust  in 
the  promise  of  an  unseen  God,  whom  he  had  tested  in  the 
past  many  hundred  times,  and  who  had  always  been  faith« 
ful  in  keeping  his  promises,  and  his  faith  knew  that  his 
God  would  not  suffer  his  own  work  to  fail  nor  suffer  re- 
proach. 

Still  further  to  silence  the  skeptic,  let  it  be  said  that  after 
the  robbery  became  known,  the  sympathy  for  the  institution 
became  so  much  greater,  that  the  contributions  voluntarily 
sent  in  consequence  thereof  replaced  the  three  thousand  dol- 
lars within  thirty  days,  and  produced  far  more  in  excess,  to 
go  towards  other  needs.  Thus  an  adversity  became  a  bless- 
ing.    The  Lord  uses  sorrow  to  produce  good. 

A  Woman  Delivered  from  the  Habit  of 
Drinking. 

"  I  visited  a  family  for  whom  I  have  felt  a  deep  interest 
for  weeks  past.  The  father  had  been  out  of  employment  some 
time,  and  they  have  lacked  food  and  clothing.  Much  of  their 
trouble  has  been  caused  by  the  intemperance  of  the  mother. 
Her  husband  has  borne  long  and  patiently  with  her,  and 
although  she  would  for  a  long  time  leave  off  drinking,  it  was 
only  to  fall  again  still  lower.  While  furnishing  them  with 
clothing,  and  assisting  them  in  other  ways,  I  besought  the 
mother  to  give  her  heart  to  Jesus,  knowing  that  he  could  keep 
her  from  falling.  She  became  a  constant  attendant  at  our  meet- 
ings. Says  "Jesus  Juts  taken  her  love  for  drink  all  awayP 
One  of  her  little  ones,  who  is  just  beginning  to  talk,  said  the 
other  day,  "Mamma,  you  don't  drink  now."  Taey  :,i.*e  a 
happy  family,  and  their  home  is  greatly  changed. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  213 

Prayer  for  Purchasers. 

Wlien  removal  to  the  new  Home  was  determined  upon, 
there  still  remained  five  of  the  old  buildings  on  hand  to  be 
disposed  of.  This  too  was  taken  to  the  Lord  in.  prayer  that 
he  might  send  purchasers. 

One  building  was  sold  in  October,  and  the  remaining  four 
in  November.  When  it  is  considered  that  a  portion  was 
property  usually  very  difficult  of  sale,  and  that  no  advertise- 
ment of  it  had  been  made,  no  other  means  than  prayer  re- 
sorted to,  it  must  be  convincing  to  all  that  there  must  be 
^'  one  who  knoweth  all  things,"  who  hears  and  helps  in  finan- 
cial as  well  as  in  spiritual  necessities. 

Asking  for  Large  G-ifts. 

Upon  the  26tli  of  September  the  record  of  the  Home  was 
as  follows  :  "  There  is  due  on  the  first  of  next  month,  $2,450 
interest  on  our  property,  and  we  are  now  within  four  daj^s  of 
the  time,  with  not  a  dollar  towards  it.  For  several  days  I 
have  been  asking  that  amount  of  the  Lord." 

Now  here  was  a  man  depending  wholly  upon  chance  gifts 
for  the  livelihood  of  several  hundred  people,  with  a  debt  of 
over  two  thousand  dollars  to  pay  in  four  days.  His  occupa- 
tion and  work  were  such  that  no  one  could  even  possibly 
think  of  making  any  loans,  as  there  was  no  security.  Neither 
was  it  the  principle  or  the  practice  of  the  Home  ever  to  solicit 
a  dollar.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  It  luas  taken  to  the  Lord 
in  prayer,  and  all  waited  the  result. 

Was  it  at  all  probable  that  so  large  a  sum  of  money  could  be 
sent  in  so  short  a  time  by  any  one  or  any  number  of  persons? 

That  evening  a  letter  from  the  probate  office  at  Exeter,  N. 
H.,  was  received  by  Dr.  CuUis,  informing  them  of  the  death 
of  a  citizen  of  Portsmouth,  with  a  bequest  to  the  Home  of 
five  thousand  dollars.  The  Lord  answered  their  prayer  the 
same  day  and  sent  double  what  was  ashed  for. 


214  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

A  Severe  Tumor  Healed. 

During  the  year  1872,  there  was  under  the  professional 
care  of  Dr.  Cullis,  at  the  Consumptive's  Home,  a  Christian 
lady  with  a  tumor  which  confined  her  almost  continuously  to 
her  bed  in  severe  suffering.  All  remedies  were  unavailing, 
and  the  only  human  hope  was  the  knife ;  but  feeling  in  my 
own  heart  the  power  of  the  promise,  I  one  morning  sat  down 
by  her  bedside,  and  taking  up  the  Bible,  I  read  aloud,  God's 
promise  to  his  believing  children.  "And  the  prayer  of  faith 
shall  save  the  sick,  and  the  Lord  shall  raise  hivi  tqj :  and  if 
he  have  committed  sins,  they  shall  he  forgiven  him." 

I  then  asked  her  if  she  would  trust  the  Lord  to  remove  this 
tumor  and  restore  her  to  health  and  to  her  missionary  work. 
She  replied,  "  I  am  willing  to  trust  the  Lord  for  it." 

I  then  knelt  and  anointed  her  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  asking  Him  to  fulfill  his  own  word.  Soon  after  I  left 
she  got  up  and  walked  three  miles.  From  that  time  the 
tumor  rapidly  lessened  until  all  trace  of  it  at  length  disap- 
peared. 

Faith.  Cured  Her. 

This  incident  was  related  by  the  lady  herself  in  a  public 
meeting  in  Boston,  where  it  was  heard  by  the  sorrowing 
wife  of  an  afflicted  husband,  whose  statement  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  I  was  first  confined  to  my  house  with  a  violent  cold.  I 
lost  my  voice  completely,  suffered  with  pain  in  my  lungs  and 
expectorated  almost  constantly.  I  grew  worse  every  day, 
and  in  a  week  called  in  a  physician.  On  examination  he 
found  my  lungs  diseased.  I  also  had  fever.  With  all  his 
care  my  cough  grew  worse,  and  night  sweats  set  in ;  a  few 
weeks  later  my  wife  was  told  by  the  Doctor  that  my  lungs 
were  badly  ulcerated,  and  that  my  case  being  hopeless,  it  was 
not  worth  while  for  him  to  attend  longer ;  also  that  she  must 
not  be  surprised  if  I  should  pass  ?way  suddenly.     I  then 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  215 

tried  some  highly  recommended  medicine,  which  seemed  only 
to  increase  my  disease. 

"  When  I  became  so  weak  as  to  be  nearly  helpless,  Dr.  Cullis 
was  called  in.  He  sounded  my  lungs  and  gave  the  same 
verdict,  saying  my  only  hope  for  recovery  was  in  the  Lord. 
Diarrhoea  also  set  in,  and  my  feet  began  to  swell." 

This  statement  will  show  his  perfect  helplessness. 

After  the  return  of  his  wife  from  the  above  meeting,  he 
read  over  and  over  the  precious  promises  of  God,  and  became 
more  and  more  convinced  of  the  power  of  faith.  Believing 
that  "  He  is  faithful  that  promised,''  he  sent  for  Dr.  Cullis 
to  come  and  pray  with  him. 

*'  Dr.  C.  prayed,  anointed  me  with  oil,  and  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  commanded  me  to  be  healed.  Instantly  my 
whole  being  was  thrilled  with  an  unknown  power,  from 
the  top  of  my  head  to  the  soles  of  my  feet.  From  the  mo- 
ment I  believed,  the  work  was  done.  My  lungs,  so  long 
diseased,  breathed  with  new  vigor,  and  I  returned  thanks  to 
God  for  the  results  of  faith.  Since  that  memorable  night  I 
have  taken  no  medicine,  and  my  health  has  been  constantly 
improving,  so  that  I  am  feeling  better  now  than  I  did  before 
my  sick7iess.'' 

Two  years  after  he  was  seen  by  Dr.  Cullis,  and  continued 
in  perfect  health,  and  engaged  in  active  business. 

Cured  of  Cancer. 

A  lady  came  to  the  Consumptive's  Home  with  a  cancer  in 
the  cheek,  which  had  attained  the  size  of  a  filbert.  It  had  a 
very  red  and  angry  appearance.  After  prayer  for  her  healing 
she  went  into  the  country,  when  some  one  remarked,  ^  E. 
thinks  that  faith  will  cure  her,  but  that  is  something  that 
will  have  to  be  burned  out  or  cut  out.'  Her  friends  tried  to 
induce  the  use  of  various  applications,  all  of  which  she  firmly 
refused.  She  returned  home  in  eight  weeks,  entirely  cured. 
Her  friends  acknowledged,  '  Faith  did  do  good  after  alV 


216  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Cured  of  Neuralgia. 

A  lady  of  East  Cambridge  writes,  "  For  nineteen  yeara  1 
have  been  afflicted  with  neuralgia;  added  to  this,  of  late 
years  a  combination  of  diseases  has  rendered  life  an  intolera- 
ble burden,  and  baffled  the  skill  of  every  physician  to  whom 
I  have  applied.  By  the  prayer  of  faith  I  have  been  healed, 
both  body  and  soul,  and  made  to  rejoice  continually.  I  can 
now  say  I  am  entirely  well,  and  engaged  in  arduous  work — 
often  among  the  sick,  losing  whole  nights  of  rest." 

Cured  of  Spine  Disease. 

Dr.  Cullis  thus  speaks  of  a  signal  answer  to  his  prayer. 
"  While  at  the  home  of  L.  R.  in  England,  I  was  asked  to 
pray  with  his  daughter,  who  had  spinal  curvature.  Subse- 
quently L.  R.  writes,  'We  are  full  of  thankfulness  and 
praise  about  E.  She  is  quite  well  and  strong,  and  does 
everything  like  her  sisters.  She  has  such  perfect  faith  that 
the  Lord  had  healed  her,  that  she  at  once  put  away  the  board 
and  said  she  should  never  lie  upon  it  again,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing Sunday  she  walked  four  miles  in  a  hot  sun,  and  sat  for 
two  hours  on  a  bencli  without  a  back.  As  far  as  we  can 
judge,  she  is  quite  well  in  every  respect.  For  fifteen  months 
before  she  had  been  a  constant  cause  of  anxiety  to  us — never 
walked  or  attended  to  study.' " 

An  Injured  Leg  Restored  to  Proper 
Length. 

"  Some  months  ago  a  young  lady  called,  requesting  to  be 
prayed  for.  She  simply  told  me  that  some  years  ago  she  was 
run  over  and  her  hip  badly  injured.  I  asked  her  if  she  could 
trust  the  Lord  for  healing.  She  replied,  '  Yes.'  I  prayed 
with  her,  and  she  went  home. 

**  I  learned  after  a  day  or  two,  that  she  was  perfectly  cured. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  217 

and  obtained  from  lier  these  facts :  Some  six  years  before, 
slie  was  run  over  by  a  hack,  and  her  hip  so  injured  that  she 
v;as  confined  to  her  bed  for  six  months.  She  then  got  up 
with  a  permanent  himeness,  one  limb  being  shorter  than  the 
other.  In  two  or  three  instances  since,  she  has  been  confined 
to  her  bed  for  three  months  at  a  time.  She  now  walks  per- 
fectly, both  limbs  being  of  the  same  length.  She  says  of 
herself,  '  I  can  leap  and  run  as  well  as  any  other  person,  and 
my  heart  overruns  with  praise  and  thanksgiving  to  God.^ " 

A  Lost  Voice  Regained. 

"  Some  nine  months  since  a  lady  showed  signs  of  indispo- 
sition, and  soon  was  attacked  by  a  cough.  Change  of  air  was 
prescribed,  but  after  a  lapse  of  some  weeks  she  returned  to 
her  home,  in  no  way  improved.  Physicians  were  consulted, 
her  lungs  found  to  be  much  irritated  and  pulse  low.  Soon 
all  appetite  left  her,  a  hoarseness  succeeded,  resulting  in  entire 
loss  of  voice. 

*' There  was  little  desire  to  eat,  as  everything  taken  into  the 
stomach  caused  great  distress.  Months  succeeded  ;  nothing 
could  be  gained  from  medical  treatment.  I  felt  that  I  must 
trust  all  to  God.  I  seemed  to  feel  that  God  would  heal  me. 
I  read  in  his  Bible,  ^The  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick.' 
I  accepted  it  at  once,  I  felt  sure  that  it  was  for  me.  I  was  led 
to  visit  Boston  and  see  Doctor  Cullis.  I  stated  all  the  cir- 
cumstances of  my  illness,  and  was  asked  if  I  could  trust  God 
to  heal  me  ?  I  replied,  'Yes,  I  am  sure  the  Lord  is  able  and 
willing.' 

'^ '  We  knelt  in  prayer ;  in  a  moment,  as  it  luere,  my  voire 
came  to  me,  I  ivas  able  to  talk  with  ease,  and  from  that  timo 
nothing  that  I  have  eaten  has  given  me  any  distress.  Tho 
Lord's  promises  are  sure,  and  He  has  filled  my  soul  with  joy 
and  praise.'  " 

In  speaking  of  the  many  cases  of  cures  in  answer  to  prayer. 
Doctor  Cullis  says  :    "  I  have  noticed  that  in  some  cases  the 


218  A-NSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

cure  Las  been  instantaneous ;  others  I  have  prayed  with  two 
or  three  times,  or  even  more.  My  explanation  is,  as  far  as  1 
have  been  able  to  observe,  that  there  has  been  oftentimes  a 
question  or  lack  of  faith  on  the  part  of  the  patient;  for  some 
seem  to  come,  not  in  faith,  but  as  a  matter  of  experiment. 
God's  ivord  says  it  is  the  prayer  of  faith  that  shall  save  the 
sick:' 

From  this  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  faith  is  that  of  the 
jjatient,  and  the  more  strongly  it  is  fixed  on  God  and  the 
promise,  the  surer  the  answer. 

It  is  but  justice  to  say,  that  in  no  case  has  there  ever  been 
the  thought  or  the  assumption,  by  Doctor  Cullis  himself,  of 
having  ajiy  divinely  corf  erred  power  to  heal  all  that  come  to 
him,  or  for  whom  he  may  pray.  No  such  power  would  ever 
be  given  to  any  human  creature  by  our  Lord.  It  is  the  Lord 
himself  who  works  the  wonder — but  solely  because  of  the  faith 
of  sufferers  who  have  sought  the  addition  of  the  prayer  of  one 
who  is  stronger  in  faith  and  prayer  than  its  own.  Each  must 
wait  upon  God,  and  must  have  faith  without  a  doubt,  and 
perfect  willingness  to  trust  all  to  Him,  and  continue  to  expect 
the  blessing. 

It  should  be  noticed,  also,  that  all  who  have  come  pleading 
the  prayer  of  faith,  and  asking  the  Lord  for  relief,  have  either 
then,  or  before,  pledged  themselves  to  the  service  of  the  Lord^ 
and  have  desired  the  good  gifts  they  seek,  that  they  may  more 
efficiently  work  for  His  own  honor  and  glory,  and  the  good  of 
others. 

When  such  a  desire  for  healing  is  united  with  the  desire 
and  the  promise  to  w^ork  in  future  for  the  Lord,  His  own 
kingdom  and  glory,  the  Lord  is  pleased  with  it,  and  His 
promise  is  made  sure  to  those  who  come  in  faith. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  those  who  come  for  prayer,  with 
the  desire  only  for  experiment,  and  also  those  who  are  with- 
holding their  lives  or  pledges  of  devotion  to  Him,  need  never 
expect  an  answer. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  219 

Cured  of  St.  Vitus'  Dance. 

"  Very  early  in  childhood,  I  was  seized  with  a  nervoua 
trouble,  something  like  St.  Vitus'  Dance.  As  I  grew  older  it 
did  not  pass  off,  but  settled  into  a  disease  of  the  muscles.  It 
became  a  terrible  affliction.  It  was  usually  under  my  control, 
but  I  could  not  endure  protracted  work  of  any  kind,  or  unusual 
fatigue ;  I  had  consulted,  in  various  cities,  the  best  physicians, 
but  they  pronounced  it  incurable.  All  that  could  be  done 
was  to  be  careful  of  overwork  and  excitement.  It  must  have 
been  twenty-five  years  since  I  was  first  taken. 

"  Doctor  Cullis  asked  me  if  I  could  give  my  body  to  the 
Lord  to  be  healed ;  I  felt  that  I  could  truly  say  ^  Yes.'  He- 
then,  in  a  simple  manner,  prayed  that  the  Lord  would  restore 
strength  of  nerve  and  muscle.  I  went  home,  touched  and 
improved  by  the  comforting  words.  At  the  end  of  the  week 
I  was  startled  at  the  recollection  that  I  had  felt  hardly  smy- 
thing  of  my  trouble.  My  nerves  began  to  feel  as  if  they  were 
held  with  a  grasp  of  iron.  The  muscles  refused  to  move  as 
before  at  every  inclination.  For  two  weeks  this  painful  ten- 
sion lasted.  Then  I  felt  a  gradual  relaxation,  and  found  that 
I  was  strong  like  other  people.  I  tested  myself  in  the  sever- 
est way — walked,  wrote  and  lifted  —  after  each  exertion  I 
could  enjoy  perfect  rest.  The  mystery  of  the  miracles  was 
explained  to  me.  This  power  of  God  manifested  in  the  past, 
is  manifest  to  us  still.  Faith  can  grasp  and  use  it.  Close 
beside  us  stands  a  living  CTiristP 


Hip  Disease  Cnred. 

A  lady  from  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  came  to  the  Consumptive's 
Home  for  prayer  cure. 

"  She  had  a  diseased  hip,  and  had  used  crutches  for  twenty 
years.  Often  the  hip  joint  would  slip  from  its  socket,  so  that 
it  was  impossible  for  her  to  walk  without  crutches.  She  now 
writes,  '  My  lameness  was  incurable,  and  God  interposed  ia 


220  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

my  behalf,  in  answer  to  your  praj^er.  I  have  been  able  to 
walk  for  five  months  without  the  crutches  I  have  used  for 
over  twenty  years.'  '^ 

A  Bad  Debt  Paid. 

A  correspondent  of  Doctor  Cull  is,  who  was  unable  to  collect 
a  debt  from  a  refractory  and  worthless  debtor,  promised  to 
give  it  to  the  Lord,  if  it  was  ever  paid.  The  following  is  his 
letter  : 

^'  Perhaps  you  remember  that  the  writer,  some  months  ago, 
asked  you  to  pray  that  some  money  which  had  been  due  him 
a  long  time,  and  which  to  all  human  appearance  was  never  to 
be  paid,  might  by  God's  interposition  be  paid  in  full. 
Enclosed,  find  the  full  amount,  $25,  which  was  paid  a  few 
days  since.     All  glory  to  Him,  who  never,  never  fails. ^^ 

Consumption  Instantly  Healed. 

"  At  a  meeting  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Consumptive's  Home, 
held  March  7,  1876,  public  prayer  was  offered  for  a  young 
man  in  Florida,  who  was  apparently  gone  in  consumption; 
an  interested  friend  had  previously  written  him  that  prayer 
would  be  offered  for  him  at  that  time. 

"  Not  long  after  she  received  letters  from  him,  stating  that 
at  that  same  hour  he  too  had  joined  in  supplication,  and  was 
instantly  healed.  He  says  that  while  before  the  Lord,  pleading 
bis  promise,  his  voice  and  strength  were  taken  away  for  a  time. 
Then  he  began  to  praise  the  Lord,  and  to  feel,  ^tis  done,' 
and  it  was  done,  and  tells  of  the  wonderful  change,  his  ability 
to  talk  and  sing,  with  no  difficulty  whatever." 

Cured  of  Catarrh.. 

"  I  have  been  afflicted  with  catarrh  for  over  twenty  years. 
I  had  consulted  many  physicians  and  used  many  remedies — all 
failed  to  help  me.     In  the  Spring  of   1874,  I  grew  so  much 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  221 

worse  that  life  became  a  burden  ;  I  suffered  from  dizziness 
and  great  prostration  ;  I  was  urged  to  go  to  you  for  faith  cure. 
This  was  no  new  thing  to  me ;  I  believed  in  it,  yet  found  it 
difficult  to  exercise  faith  for  myself. 

"  My  daughter  went  to  see  you,  as  I  was  then  unable  to  go. 
I  looked  to  God,  and  believed  from  tliat  very  moment.  My 
whole  soul  and  body  seemed  thrilled,  and  I  began  to  gain 
strength  immediately. 

"  In  a  few  days  I  was  able  to  go  to  your  Home.  You  prayed 
simply  that  God  would  take  all  disease  from  me.  I  have 
been  entirely  well  from  that  time  ;  not  only  cured  of  catarrh,, 
but  tumors  on  my  limbs  were  entirely  removed.  I  desire  to. 
give  God  the  praise  ;  I  bless  him  that  He  does  forgive  our 
transgressions  and  heal  our  diseases." 

These  instances  are  only  a  very  few  out  of  many,  that 
have  occurred,  too  numerous  for  repetition  here.  It  must  be 
admitted,  that  God  has  most  signally  blessed  the  faith  of  tlie 
inmates  of  the  Consumptive's  Home,  answered  their  praj^er- 
for  others.  In  nearly  all  the  cases  of  healing  which  have  oc- 
curred, the  sufferers  have  failed  in  all  other  means,  and  in 
their  extremity  have  depended  wholly  in  faith  in  God. 

In  speaking  of  them.  Doctor  CuUis  says:  "We  do  not 
give  these  instances  of  the  healing  of  the  body,  dear  friends, 
of  Jesus,  as  in  any  degree  paramount  to  the  healing  of  tlie- 
soul ;  but  that  as  the  dear  children  of  God,  we  may  claim 
all  our  privileges,  and  enjoy  the  knowledge  of  our  fullness  of 
possession  in  Him  who  declares  "  all  things  are  yoursJ^  Shall 
we  in  any  manner,  of  smallest  or  largest  import,  limit  the 
love  and  power  of  God,  who  deigneth  out  of  the  highest 
heaven  to  declare,  "  The  Lord  thinketh  upon  meP  As  an 
earthly  parent  separates  no  part  of  the  well-being  of  his 
child  from  his  watchful  care,  so  doth  our  Heavenly  Father 
not  only  ^^ forgive  all  our  iniquities,''^  but  "  healeth  all  our 
diseases.-^  Let  us  not  confine  faith  operation  to  the  saving  of 
the  soul,  luhile  God^s  ivord  is  full  of  previous  pron^ise  for  the 
savi7ig,  keeping,  and  healing  of  the  body. 


222  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

''  For  I  will  restore  health  unto  thee,  and  I  will  heal  thee 
'of  thy  wounds,  saith  the  LordJ^ 

A  Mother's  Faith—The  Life  of  Beate 
Paulus. 

In  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  Beate  Paulus,  the  wife  of  a  Ger- 
man minister  who  lived  on  the  borders  of  the  Black  Forest, 
are  several  incidents  which  illustrate  the  power  of  living 
faith,  and  the  providence  of  a  prayer-hearing  God. 

Though  destitute  of  wealth,  she  much  desired  to  educate 
her  children,  and  five  of  her  six  boys  were  placed  in  school, 
while  she  struggled,  and  prayed,  and  toiled, — not  only  in  the 
house,  but  out  of  doors, — to  provide  for  their  necessities. 

"  On  one  occasion,"  writes  one  of  her  children,  "  shortly 
before  harvest,  the  fields  stood  thick  with  corn,  and  our 
mother  had  already  calculated  that  their  produce  would  suffice 
to  meet  all  claims  for  the  year.  She  was  standing  at  the 
window  casting  the  matter  over  in  her  mind,  with  great  satis- 
faction, when  her  attention  was  suddenly  caught  by  some 
heavy,  black  clouds  with  white  borders,  drifting  at  a  great 
rate  across  the  Summer  sky.  'It  is  a  hail-storm  ! '  she  ex- 
claimed in  dismay,  and  quickly  throwing  up  the  window,  she 
leaned  out.  Her  eyes  rested  upon  a  frightful  mass  of  wild 
storm-clouds,  covering  the  western  horizon,  and  approaching 
with  rapid  fury. 

^' '  O  God  ! '  she  cried,  '  there  comes  an  awful  tempest,  and 
what  is  to  become  of  my  corn  ?  '  The  black  masses  rolled 
nearer  and  nearer,  while  the  ominous  rushing  movement  that 
precedes  a  storm,  began  to  rock  the  sultry  air,  and  the 
dreaded  hail-stones  fell  with  violence.  Half  beside  herself 
with  anxiety  about  those  fields  lying  at  the  eastern  end  of 
the  valley,  she  now  lifted  her  hands  heavenward,  and  wring- 
ing them  in  terror,  cried  :  '  Dear  Father  in  heaven,  what  art 
thou  doing  ?  Thou  knowest  I  cannot  manage  to  pay  for  my 
boys  at  school,  without  the  produce  of  those  fields  !  Oh  !  turn 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  223 

Th}^  hand,  and  do  not  let  the  hail  blast  my  hopes  ! '  Scarcely, 
however,  had  these  words  crossed  her  lips  when  she  started, 
for  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  a  voice  had  whispered  in  her  ear,  '  Is 
my  arm  shortened  that  it  cannot  help  thee  in  other  ways  ? ' 
Abashed,  she  shrank  into  a  quiet  corner,  and  there  entreated 
God  to  forgive  her  want  of  faith.  In  the  meantime  the  storm 
passed.  And  now  various  neighbors  hurried  in,  proclaiming 
that  the  whole  valley  lay  thickly  covered  with  hail-stones, 
down  to  the  very  edge  of  the  jparsonage  fields,  but  the  latter 
had  been  quite  spared.  The  storm  had  reached  their  border, 
and  then  suddenly  taking  another  direction  into  the  next 
valley.  Moreover,  that  the  whole  village  was  in  amazement, 
declaring  that  God  had  wrought  a  miracle  for  the  sake  of  our 
mother,  whom  he  loved.  She  listened,  silently  adoring  the 
goodness  of  the  Lord,  and  vowing  that  henceforth  her  confi- 
dence should  be  only  in  Him." 

At  another  time  she  found  herself  unable  to  pay  the  ex- 
penses of  the  children's  schooling,  and  the  repeated  demands 
for  money  were  rendered  more  grievous  by  the  reproaches  of 
her  husband,  who  charged  her  with  attempting  impossibili- 
ties, and  told  her  that  her  self-will  would  involve  them  in  dis- 
grace. She,  however,  professed  her  unwavering  confidence 
that  the  Lord  would  soon  interpose  for  their  relief,  while  his 
answer  was  :   "  We  shall  see  ;  time  will  show." 

In  the  midst  of  these  trying  circumstances,  as  her  husband 
was  one  day  sitting  in  his  study,  absorbed  in  meditation,  the 
postman  brought  three  letters  from  different  towns  where  the 
boys  were  at  school,  each  declaring  that  unless  the  dues  were 
promptly  settled,  the  lads  would  be  dismissed.  The  father 
read  the  letters  wnth  growing  excitement,  and  spreading  them 
out  upon  the  table  before  his  wife  as  she  entered  the  room, 
exclaimed  :  "  There,  look  at  them,  and  pay  our  debt  with  j^our 
faith  !    I  have  no  money,  nor  can  I  tell  where  to  go  for  any." 

"Seizing  the  papers,  she  rapidly  glanced  through  them, 
with  a  very  grave  face,  but  then  answered  firmly,  '  It  is  all 
right ;  the  business  shall  be  settled.     For  He  who  says,  "The 


224  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

gold  and  silver  is  mine/'  will  find  it  an  easy  thing  to  pro- 
vide these  sums.'      Saying  which  she  hastily  left  the  room. 

^^Our  father  readily  supposed  she  intended  making  her  way 
to  a  certain  rich  friend  who  had  helped  us  before.  He  was 
mistaken,  for  this  time  her  steps  turned  in  a  different  direc- 
tion. We  had  in  the  parsonage  an  upper  loft,  shut  off  by  a 
trap-door  from  the  lower  one,  and  over  this  door  it  was  that 
she  now  knelt  down,  and  began  to  deal  with  Him  in  whose 
strength  she  had  undertaken  the  work  of  her  children's  educa- 
tion. She  spread  before  Him  those  letters  from  the  study 
table,  and  told  Him  of  her  husband's  half  scoffing  taunt.  She 
also  reminded  Him  how  her  life  had  been  redeemed  from  the 
very  gates  of  death,  for  the  children's  sake,  and  then  declared 
that  she  could  not  believe  that  He  meant  to  forsake  her  at  this 
juncture;  she  was  willing  to  be  the  second  whom  He  might 
forsake,  but  she  was  determined  not  to  be  the  first. 

"  In  the  meanwhile,  her  husband  waited  down  stairs,  and 
night  came  on  ;  but  she  did  not  appear.  Supper  was  ready, 
and  yet  she  stayed  in  the  loft.  Then  the  eldest  girl,  her 
namesake  Beate,  ran  up  to  call  her ;  but  the  answer  was, 
'  Take  your  supper  without  me,  it  is  not  time  for  me  to  eat.' 
Late  in  the  evening,  the  little  messenger  was  again  despatched, 
but  returned  with  the  reply  :  ^  Go  to  bed ;  the  time  has  not 
come  for  me  to  rest.'  A  third  time,  at  breakfast  next  morn- 
ing, the  girl  called  her  mother.  '  Leave  me  alone,'  she  said ; 
'  I  do  not  need  breakfast ;  when  I  am  ready  I  shall  come.' 
Thus  the  hours  sped  on,  and  down  stairs  her  husband  and 
the  children  began  to  feel  frightened,  not  daring,  however,  to 
disturb  her  any  more.  At  last  tlie  door  opened,  and  she  en- 
tered, her  face  beaming  with  a  v/onderful  light.  The  little 
daughter  thought  that  something  extraordinary  must  have 
happened  ;  and  running  to  her  mother  with  open  arms,  asked 
eagerly:  ^What  is  it?  Did  an  angel  from  heaven  bring  the 
money  ?  '  '  No,  my  child,'  was  the  smiling  answer,  'but  now 
I  am  sure  that  it  will  come.'  She  had  hardly  spoken,  when  a 
maid  in  peasant  costume  entered,  saying  :  '  The  master  of  the 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  225 

Linden  Inn  sends  to  ask  whether  the  Frau  Pastorin  can  spare 
time  to  see  him  ?  '  ^Ah,  I  know  what  he  wants/  answered 
our  mother.  '  My  best  regards,  and  I  will  come  at  once.' 
Whereupon  she  started,  and  mine  host,  looking  out  of  his 
window,  saw  her  from  afar,  and  came  forward  to  welcome  her 
with  the  words  :  '  O  Madame,  how  glad  I  am  you  have  come  ! ' 
Then  leading  her  into  his  back  parlor  he  said ;  '  I  cannot  tell 
how  it  is,  but.  the  whole  of  this  last  night  I  could  not  sleep 
for  thinking  of  you.  For  some  time  I  have  had  several  hun- 
dred gulden  lying  in  that  chest,  and  all  night  long  I  was 
haunted  by  the  thought  that  you  needed  this  money,  and  that 
I  ought  to  give  it  to  you.  If  that  be  the  case,  there  it  is — 
take  it ;  and  do  not  trouble  about  repaying  me.  Should  you 
be  able  to  make  it  up  again,  well  and  good — if  not,  never 
mind.'  On  this  my  mother  said:  ^  Yes,  I  do  most  certainly 
need  it,  my  kind  friend;  for  all  last  night  I  too  was  awake, 
crying  to  God  for  help.  Yesterday  there  came  three  letters, 
telling  us  that  all  our  boj^s  would  be  dismissed  unless  the 
money  for  their  board  is  cleared  at  once.' 

" '  Is  it  really  so  ?  '  exclaimed  the  innkeeper,  who  was  a 
noble-hearted  and  spiritual  Christian  man.  '  How  strange 
and  wonderful !  Now  I  am  doubly  glad  I  asked  you  to  come  ! ' 
Then  opening  the  chest,  he  produced  three  weighty  packets, 
and  handed  them  to  her  Avith  a  prayer  that  God's  blessing 
might  rest  upon  the  gift.  She  accepted  it  with  the  simple 
words :  '  May  God  make  good  to  you  this  service  of  Christian 
sympathy  ;  for  you  have  acted  as  the  steward  of  One  who  has 
promised  not  even  to  leave  the  giving  of  a  cup  of  cold  water 
unrewarded.' 

"Husband  and  children  were  eagerly  awaiting  her  at  home, 
and  those  three  dismal  letters  still  lay  open  on  the  table,  when 
the  mother,  who  had  quitted  that  study  in  such  deep  emotion 
the  day  before,  stepped  up  to  her  husband,  radiant  with  joy. 
On  each  letter,  she  laid  a  roll  of  money  and  then  cried  :  '  Look, 
there  it  is  !  And  now  believe  that  faith  in  God  is  no  empty 
madness  \ ' " 

15 


226  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

The  Persecutor's  Fate. 

Dr.  Eugenio  Kincaid,  the  Burman  missionary,  states,  that 
among  the  first  converts  in  Ava  were  two  men  who  had  held 
respectable  offices  about  the  palace.  Some  time  after  they 
had  been  baptized,  a  neighbor  determined  to  report  them  to 
government,  and  drew  up  a  paper  setting  forth  that  these  two 
men  had  forsaken  the  customs  and  religion  of  their  fathers, 
were  worshiping  the  foreigner's  God,  and  went  every  Sunday 
to  the  teacher's  house;  with  other  similar  charges.  He  pre- 
sented the  paper  to  the  neighbors  of  the  two  disciples,  taking 
their  names  as  witnesses,  and  saying  that  he  should  go  and 
present  the  accusation  on  the  next  day. 

The  two  Christians  heard  of  it,  and  went  to  Mr.  Kincaid  in 
great  alarm,  to  consult  as  to  what  they  should  do.  They  said 
if  they  were  accused  to  government,  the  mildest  sentence  they 
could  expect  would  be  imprisonment  for  life  at  hard  labor, 
and  perhaps  they  would  be  killed.  Kincaid  told  them  tliat 
they  could  not  flee  from  Ava,  if  they  would;  that  he  saw 
nothing  he  could  do  for  them,  and  all  that  they  could  do  was 
to  trust  in  God  to  protect  them,  and  deliver  them  from  the 
power  of  their  enemies.  They  also  prayed  and  soon  left  Kin- 
caid, saying  that  they  felt  more  calm,  and  could  leave  the 
matter  with  God. 

That  night  the  persecutor  was  attacked  by  a  dreadful  dis- 
ease in  the  bowels,  which  so  distressed  him  that  he  roared  like 
a  madman;  and  his  friends,  which  is  too  often  the  case  with 
the  heathen,  left  him  to  suffer  and  die  alone.  The  two  Chris - 
Mons  whom  he  would  have  ruined  then  went  and  took  care 
of  him-  till  he  died,  two  or  three  days  after  his  attack.  The 
whole  affair  was  well  known  in  the  neighborhood,  and  from 
that  time  not  a  dog  dared  move  his  tongue  against  the  Chris- 
tians of  Ava. 

Is  there  no  evidence  in  this  of  a  special  providence,  and 
that  God  listens  to  the  prayers  of  persecuted  and  distressed 
children  ? 


ANSWERS    TO   PRAYER.  227 

The  Captain  and  the  Quadrant. 

A  godly  man,  the  master  of  an  American  ship,  during  one 
Vcfage  found  his  ship  bemisted  for  days,  and  he  became 
rather  anxious  respecting  her  safety.  He  went  down  to  his 
cabin  and  prayed.  The  thought  struck  him,  if  he  had  with 
confidence  committed  his  soul  to  God,  he  might  certainly 
commit  his  ship  to  Him ;  and  so,  accordingly,  he  gave  all  into 
the  hands  of  God,  and  felt  at  perfect  peace;  but  still  he 
prayed,  that  if  He  would  be  pleased  to  give  a  cloudless  sky  at 
twelve  o'clock,  he  should  like  to  take  an  observation  to  ascer- 
tain their  real  position,  and  whether  they  were  on  the  right 
course. 

He  came  on  deck  at  eleven  o'clock,  with  the  quadrant  under 
Ms  coat.  As  it  was  thick  drizzling,  the  men  looked  at  him 
with  amazement.  He  went  to  his  cabin,  prayed,  and  came 
lip.  There  seemed  still  to  be  no  hope.  Again  he  went  down 
and  prayed,  and  again  he  appeared  on  deck  with  his  quadrant 
in  his  hand.  It  was  now  ten  minutes  to  twelve  o'clock,  and 
still  there  was  no  appearance  of  a  change;  but  he  stood  on 
the  deck,  waiting  upon  the  Lord,  when,  in  a  few  minutes,  the 
mist  seemed  to  be  folded  up  and  rolled  away  as  by  an  omnip- 
otent and  invisible  hand;  the  sun  shown  clearly  from  the 
blue  vault  of  heaven,  and  there  stood  the  man  of  prayer  with 
the  quadrant  in  his  hand,  but  so  awe- struck  did  he  feel,  and 
so  "  dreadful "  was  that  place,  that  he  could  scarcely  take 
advantage  of  the  answer  to  his  prayer.  He,  however,  suc- 
ceeded, although  with  trembling  hands,  and  found,  to  his 
comfort,  that  all  was  well.  But  no  sooner  had  he  finished 
taking  the  observation  than  the  mist  rolled  back  over  the 
heavens,  and  it  began  to  drizzle  as  before. 

This  story  of  prayer  was  received  from  the  lips  of  the  good 
Captain  Crossby,  who  was  so  useful  in  the  Ardrossan  awaken- 
ing; and  he  himself  was  the  man  who  prayed  and  waited 
upon  his  God  with  the  quadrant  in  his  hand. 


228  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

The  Faith  of  Dorothea  Trudel. 

The  life  of  Dorothea  Trudel  has  afforded  some  remarkable 
instances  of  answer  to  prayer  ;  during  the  years  1850  to  1860, 
at  the  Swiss  village  of  Miinnedorf,  near  the  Lake  of  Zurich, 
and  that  of  Molltingen,  were  seen  and  witnessed,  cases  of  cure 
in  response  to  unyielding  faith  in  the  promises  of  the  Lord. 

Dorothea  Trudel  was  a  worker  in  flowers,  and  in  time  came 
to  have  many  workers  under  her,  and  when  she  was  about 
thirty-seven  years  of  age,  four  or  five  of  her  workers  fell  sick. 
The  sickness  resisted  all  treatment,  grew  worse,  appeared  to 
be  hopeless.  She  was  a  deep,  earnest  Christian,  and  while 
diligent  and  unselfish  as  a  nun,  yet  her  anxiety  for  her  work 
people  drew  her  to  earnest  prayer  and  study  of  the  Scriptures 
for  relief.  Like  a  sudden  light,  she  says,  the  well  known 
prayer  of  the  Epistle  of  James,  5 :  14,  15,  flashed  upon  her. 

"  If  medical  skill  was  unavailing,  was  there  not  prayer  ? 
And  could  not  the  same  Lord  who  chose  to  heal  through 
medicines,  also  heal  without  them  ?  Was  he  necessarily  re- 
stricted to  the  one  means  ?  There  was  a  time  when  his  heal- 
ing power  went  forth  directly ;  might  it  not  be  put  forth 
directly  still  ?  " 

Agitated  by  these  questions,  she  sought  help  in  prayer,  and 
then  kneeling  by  the  bedside  of  these  sick  people,  she  prayed 
for  them.  They  recovered  ;  and  the  thought  that  at  first  had 
startled  her,  became  now  the  settled  conviction  of  her  life. 

Her  reputation  spread ;  others  who  were  sick,  came  to  her 
for  relief,  but  she  sought  only  the  recovery  of  the  patients  by 
prayer  alone.  Many  recovered.  Her  doors  were  besieged, 
and  at  last  she  consented  to  receive  invalids  at  her  home,  from 
compassion.  By  degrees  her  own  house  grew  into  three,  and 
at  last  it  became  in  fact  a  hospital. 

She  lived  a  life  of  humility,  and  perfect  simplicity,  3'et 
strength  of  faith,  and  at  her  death  her  work  was,  and  still  is, 
carried  on  by  Mr.  Zeller,  who  also  has  had  marvelous  suc- 
cesses in  answer  to  prayer. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  229 

Remarkable  Cures. 

There  have  been  gathered  together  in  her  biography,  well 
authenticated  cases  of  answer  to  prayer,  when  the  patient  was 
considered  wholly  incapable  of  help  from  medical  skill. 

"  There  was  one  of  a  stiff  knee,  that  had  been  treated  in 
vain  by  the  best  physicians  in  France,  Germany  and  Switzer- 
land; one  of  an  elderly  man  who  could  not  walk,  and  had 
been  given  up  by  his  physicians,  but  who  soon  dispensed  with 
his  crutches ;  a  man  came  with  a  burned  foot,  and  the  sur- 
geons said  it  was  a  case  of  'either  amputation  or  death,' 
and  he  also  was  cured ;  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of 
Wurtemburg,  testifies  to  the  cure  of  a  hopeless  patient  of  his 
own  ;  another  remained  six  weeks,  and  says  he  saw  all  kinds 
of  sicknesses  healed;  cancers  and  fevers  have  been  treated 
with  success  ;  epilepsy  and  insanity  more  frequently  than  any 
other  form  of  disease. 

'^  Neither  is  the  life  and  experience  of  Dorothea  Trudel 
an  exceptional  one.  Pastor  Blumenhart  of  Wurtemberg,  has 
had  his  home  crowded  for  years  with  patients,  and  cures 
occur  constantly. 

^-  The  mother  of  Dorothea  Trudel  was  an  eminently  pious 
woman,  and  it  was  her  custom,  when  any  of  her  children  were 
ill,  to  bring  them  in  prayer  before  the  feet  of  the  Heavenly 
Physician,  as  Dorothea  herself  says  :  '  Our  mother  had  no 
cure  except  prayer,  and  though  at  that  time  we  did  not  under- 
stand, yet  since  then  we  have  found  it  out,  that  it  was  the 
healing  hand  of  the  Saviour  alone,  that  helped  and  restored 
us.' " 

Cured  of  the  Small-Pox. 

"Even  when  I  had  the  small-pox,  and  became  blind,  no 
doctor  was  sent  for,  and  no  one  was  told  of  it.  Our  father 
was  not  at  home  (he,  father,  most  unfortunately,  was  not  a 
religious  person)  ;  and  when  our  mother  asked  him  to  come, 
telling  him  how  ill  I  was,  he  would  not  believe  it,  and  pre- 


230  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

ferred  to  remain  with  his  friends.  Our  mother,  however, 
was  not  in  the  least  vexed  or  excited ;  she  prayed  for  him,  for 
all  of  us,  especially  for  her  sick  child,  and  hefore  my  father 
came  home,  my  eyes  were  re-opened." 

Cured  of  Severe  Fits. 

''  Once  again,  one  of  my  brothers  had  a  fit  brought  on 
through  fright.  It  was  a  most  violent  and  painful  attack, 
and  we  were  greatly  alarmed.  This  time,  also,  our  father  was 
out ;  and  our  mother  said  to  us,  I  know  this  fearful  illness, 
my  children  ;  it  is  one  of  the  heaviest  trials  which  could  havo 
occurred,  but  Jesus,  who  cured  that  lunatic  boy,  can  heal  our 
child.  Do  not  speak  of  the  attack  to  any  one  ;  we  will  go  only 
to  Jesus  about  it ;  and  then  she  prayed  with  us. 

"  Not  long  after,  a  second  fit  came  on,  and  again  our  father 
was  "taking  his  pleasure  at  the  public  house.  This  time 
mother  told  him  what  had  happened  in  his  absence  ;  but  he 
laughed  at  it,  and  said,  '  I  don't  believe  it ;  you  were  fright- 
ened at  the  child  having  bad  dreams.' 

''His  wife  replied,  Tor  the  sake  of  your  unbelief,  I  hope 
that  the  child  will  have  another  attack  whilst  you  are  at 
home,  so  that  you  may  witness  it  j^ourself,  then  you  will  be- 
lieve ;  I  pray  God,  however,  that  this  may  be  the  last  time.' 

"  It  came  to  pass  about  a  week  after,  that  another  most  dread- 
ful fit  came  on ;  the  boy  foamed  violently,  and  threw  himself 
about  in  fearful  convulsions  ;  on  this  occasion  the  father  was 
present,  and  he  was  convinced  of  the  nature  of  the  attack,  and 
alarmed  at  what  he  saw.  But  the  mother's  -prayer  ivas 
heard;  for  the  disease  never  showed  itself  again  for  thirty- 
four  years,  while  both  parents  lived.'' 

Buying  a  Cow. 

"  Our  father  going  away  abroad,  he  sold  one  of  our  two 
cows,  and  took  the  proceeds  with  him.  (He,  the  father,  was  a 
reckless  spendthrift,  idle,  and  fond  of  the  public  inn.)     A  rich 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  231 

neighbor  directly  offered  to  loan  us  money  enough  to  buy 
another ;  this  kind  proposal  we  gratefully  accepted.  Although 
we  did  not  understand  much  about  bargains  of  this  kind,  yet 
the  cow  we  purchased  served  us  so  remarkably,  that  we  were 
obliged  to  acknowledge  whence  the  blessing  came.  In  Sum- 
mer we  could  sell  fourteen  measures  of  milk;  in  Winter, 
twelve  to  the  dairyman,  so  that  the  borrowed  money  was 
speedily  paid. 

"  At  the  same  time  the  cow  performed  the  farm  work  re- 
quired of  it,  with  such  strength  and  quickness,  we  were  as- 
tonished. When  our  father,  on  his  return,  heard  us  speaking 
with  pleasure  of  this  animal,  he  became  so  enraged  with  the 
poor  thing,  that  he  was  determined  to  sell  it,  and  actually 
offered  it  at  half  its  value. 

*'  The  faithless  children  were  in  a  continual  fright.  When 
any  one  came  near  the  house,  we  thought  that  we  were  as- 
suredly going  to  lose  our  cow.  But  mother  exhorted  us  not  to 
be  so  fearful;  for,  said  she,  ^If  your  father  could  do  always 
as  he  likes,  none  of  you  ^vould  be  alive  now  ;  but  God  will 
never  let  him  go  any  farther  than  he  sees  to  be  for  our  good. 
Believe  me,  God,  who  has  given  us  this  cow,  will  keep  it  for  us 
as  long  as  we  need  it.' 

"  And  so  it  turned  out,  for  the  cow  never  left  us  whilst  our 
mother  was  alive ;  and  when  we  were  all  provided  for,  a  pur- 
chaser came,  who  paid  a  high  price  for  the  creature,  having 
heard  of  its  wonderful  powers  from  the  man  to  whom  we  sold 
the  milk  for  so  many  years ;  but  no  sooner  was  the  animal 
taken  to  its  new  home,  than  the  wonder  ceased,  and  this  covj 
became  no  better  than  any  other. ^^ 

A  Lady  Cnred,  who  had  been  rejected  from 
an  Asylum. 

"  Madam  M- ,  the  mother  of  twelve  children,  had  been 

quite  shattered  in  mind  by  the  death  of  her  husband,  and  had 
been  actually  sent  away  uncured  from  an  asylum.     She  came 


232  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

to  Dorothea's  home,  was  blessed  in  remembrance  in  her 
prayers,  and  after  seven  tveeks  ivent  away  peyfectly  cured. 
She  acknowledged  the  Lord  was  indeed  her  helper,  and  she 
has  remained  well  to  this  day." 

The  Soul  Cured  as  well  as  the  Body. 

On  many  occasions  she  experienced  wonderful  help  from 
God,  who,  while  performing  marvels  for  the  body,  which  is 
the  least  important  part,  accomplishes  what  is  far  greater, 
even  the  salvation  of  souls. 

"Among  others,  one  named  B.  T ,  went  to  her,  who  had 

been  suffering  for  six  months  from  a  disease  of  his  bones,  and 
had  been  for  a  lengthened  period  in  a  Swiss  hospital,  under 
medical  treatment.  At  length  he,  by  the  advice  of  Christian 
friends,  sought  for  relief  from  his  malady  at  Dorothea's  house. 
His  cure  began  in  the  first  week  of  his  visit,  and  in  a  few 
weeks  he  was  completely  recovered." 

On  one  occasion  a  young  artisan  came,  in  whom  cancer  had 
made  such  progress  as  to  render  anj^  approach  to  him  almost 
unbearable. 

"  At  the  Bible  lessons,  this  once  frivolous  man,  now  an  ear- 
nest inquirer,  learned  where  the  improvement  must  begin  ;  and 
from  the  day  that  he  confessed  his  sins  against  God  and  man, 
the  disease  abated.  Some  time  afterwards  he  acknowledged 
one  sin  he  had  hitherto  concealed,  and  then  he  speedily  recov- 
ered his  bodily  health,  and  returned  to  his  home  cured  in 
spirit  also." 

"A  lady  in  S had  so  injured  her  knee  by  a  fall,  that 

for  weeks  she  lay  in  the  greatest  agony.  The  doctors  declared 
that  dropsy  would  supervene ;  but  the  Heavenly  Physician 
fulfilled  those  promises  which  will  abide  until  the  end  of  the 
world  ;  and  by  prayer,  and  the  laying  on  of  Dorothea's  hand, 
the  knee  was  cured  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  the  swelling 
vanished." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  233 

Prayer,  Not  Mesmerism. 

"  Several  people  have  maintained  that  her  work  was  one  of 
mesmerism  ]  and  when  once  she  was  asked  to  visit  an  out 
patient,  she  earnestly  implored  the  Lord  not  to  heal  this  inva- 
lid through  her  means  if  she  employed  mesmerism;  but  if 
not,  to  permit  recovery.  The  woman  was  cured  in  a  short 
time,  though  Dorothea  had  never  entered  her  house,  and  had, 
therefore,  no  opportunity  of  jDlacing  herself  in  a  mesmeric 
relation  to  this  patient.'^ 

Help  in  Pecuniary  Affairs. 

"In  pecuniary  affairs,  also,  the  Lord  was  their  helper. 
Many  times  something  had  to  be  jmid,  and  they  had  no  means 
wherewith  to  meet  the  claims.  Once,  God  actually  sent  aid 
by  means  of  an  enemy,  who  offered  money ;  another  time, 
three  thousand  francs  came  from  Holland,  just  as  they  were 
needed,  and  also  unexpected  on  a  third  occasion  they  were 
about  to  borrow  money  to  pay  for  bread,  when  two  hundred 
and  fifty  francs  arrived." 

The  Faith  Life  of  Mr.  Zeller. 

After  the  death  of  Dorothea  Trudel,  the  work  at  Mannedorf, 
instituted  by  her,  has  been  furthered  and  carried  on  by  Mr. 
Samuel  Zeller,  who  had  been  her  associate.  He  has  published 
two  reports,  which  contain  many  instances  of  answers  to 
prayer,  showing  that  the  Lord  still  gave  blessed  results,  and 
rewarded  their  faithful  trust. 

"  Xo  disease  is  found  to  be  more  obstinate  than  epilepsy, 
yet  several  instances  are  recorded  of  patients  being  restored 
to  perfect  health.  Persons  afflicted  with  mental  disorder  and 
convulsions  are  frequently  brought  to  Miinnedorff,  and  many 
return  cured  or  benefited. 

''  On  one  occasion,  a  lady  who  had  been  afflicted  with  con« 


234  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

stant  headache  for  five  ^^ears,  found  her  disorder  removed 
speedily  under  the  influence  of  pra^-er.  In  other  cases  the 
passion  for  strong  drink  was  taken  away ;  fever  more  or  less 
disappeared;  and  the  subjects  of  various  kinds  of  chronic  dis- 
eases, even  some  apparently  far  gone  in  consumption,  have 
found  their  strength  return  to  them  under  the  same  influence. 

"  Unhapjjy  victims  of  spiritualist  delusions  have  found 
deliverance  at  the  mercy-seat ;  and  there,  too,  many  in  the- 
bondage  of  sin  have  rejoiced  in  a  present  Saviour. 

"  One  patient  afflicted  with  convulsions,  who  came  several 
years  successively  without  being  cured,  at  last  confessed  that 
she  possessed  a  book  of  'charms'  in  which  she  put  some 
degree  of  faith,  and  she  had  recommended  them  to  others. 
She  was  led  to  see  the  folly  and  sin  of  such  things,  and  soon 
after  the  book  was  burned  she  was  restored  to  health.'' 

Many  cases  have  occurred  where  the  suffering  patient  was 
utterly  unable  to  come  to  Mannedorff,  but  praj-er  has  l)een 
offered  there  in  their  behalf,  and  the  answers  have  been  as 
frequent  as  with  the  cases  which  have  come  under  the  same 
xoof. 

"  A  brother   living  at    R was   seized    with  a  violent 

fever,  and  appeared  to  be  at  death's  door.  Intelligence  hav- 
ing been  sent  to  Mannedorff,  united  prayer  was  made  in  his. 
behalf ;  and  very  soon  afterwards  a  telegraphic  message  an- 
nounced that  he  was  recovering.  On  this  occasion  the  prom- 
ise was  remembered  with  joy, '  Before  they  call  I  will  answer.'  " 

"Perhaps  one  of  the  most  striking  cases  of  blessing  re- 
corded is  that  of  a  lady,  who  was  subject  to  fits  of  insanity  so 
violent  that  they  threatened  her  life,  and  who  was  so  far  con- 
scious of  her  miserable  condition,  that  happening  to  go  into  a 
meeting  where  she  heard  God's  word,  she  requested  to  be 
prayed  for.  A  friend  wrote  to  Miinnedorf,  describing  the 
case,  and  asking  prayer  on  her  behalf;  and  only  a  fortnight 
later,  the  same  friend  communicated  the  happy  news  of  her 
recovery.  After  a  fit  of  unusual  severity,  she  fell  into  a  deep 
sleep,  from  which  she  awoke  in  her  right  mind  ;  more  than 


ANSWEJIS.  TO    PRAYER.  235 

that,  she  learned  to  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  rejoiced  in 
His  love." 

''A  patient  in  this  institution,  who  arrived  unconverted,  and 
was  thought  to  be  in  a  dying  state,  heard  the  good  news  of 
Salvation,  and  was  enabled  to  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  through 
simple  trust  in  Him;  and  from  that  moment  she  began  to 
rapidly  recover  from  her  disorder,  and  soon  became  strong 
enough  to  nurse  another  patient." 

Another  remarkable  case  was  that  of  a  young  girl  who,  in 
consequence  of  the  breaking  off  of  a  marriage  engagement,, 
manifested  decided  symptoms  of  insanity.  She  not  only  re- 
covered from  her  malady,  but  found  the  Saviour. 

The  Blind  Restored  to  Sight. 

Prayer  was  asked  for  a  young  lady  who  was  wholly  blind.. 
A  letter  received  soon  after  brought  this  joyful  news : 

"In  answer  to  your  prayer  for  our  niece,  I  must  thanks 
fully  tell  you,  her  eyes  are  so  much  better  that  the  Doctor 
this  morning  told  her  to,  thank  God  for  having  saved  her 
from  the  most  dangerous  kind  of  cataract. 

"While  examining  her  eyes,  the  Doctor,  who  is  a  Jew,  took 
up  a  book  lying  near,  and  opening  it  told  her  to  try  and  read,, 
which  she  was  able  to  do  with  ease.  It  was  a  hymn  book,, 
and  the  first  words  on  which  her  eyes  fell  were  these : 

'  Christ  Jesus,  glorious  King  of  Light, 

Great  Conqueror,  David's  heir. 
Come  now  and  give  my  blind  eyes  sight, 
0  Saviour,  hear  my  prayer ! ' 

"  '  That  will  do,'  said  the  Doctor,  '  jou  are  much  better.' 
"I  for  my  part  hastened  to  my  chamber,  and  shutting  the 
door  fell  on  my  knees  with  a  cry  of  joyful  praise." 

Threats  were  made  by  many  of  the  villagers  that  they 
would  burn  up  the  house  for  this  institution,  saying  all  man- 
ner of  unreasonable  things..     "You.  can  not  prevent  this  by 


236  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

prayer,"  said  one  writer,  ^'  we  have  taken  an  oath  to  do  it.'* 
Mr.  Zeller  remained  quiet,  taking  no  notice  of  these  threats, 
but  quietly  trusted  in  the  Lord.  Though  other  anonymous 
letters  came  frequently,  yet  the  threats  were  never  carried 
out. 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  that,  blessed  as  was  the  work  of 
faith,  still  the  spirit  of  persecution  was  permitted  by  the 
Lord  only  to  make  his  own  children  rely  more  confidently  on 
Him,  and  that  he  might  fulfill  more  positively  his  promise, 
^^No  evil  shall  befall  thee,  no  harm  come  nigh  thy  divellingP 

The  Bank  of  Paith.    God  the  Guardian  of 
the  Poor. 

Perhaps  the  providence  of  God  in  supplying  the  wants  of 
the  poor  never  was  more  closely  watched  and  better  described 
than  has  been  done  by  the  late  William  Huntington,  formerly 
a  minister  in  London,  England,  who,  in  a  book  with  the  quaint 
title  of  the  "Bank  of  Faith,"  tells  how,  in  his  course  of  life, day 
by  day  the  Lord  guarded  him,  helped  him,  and  provided  for 
every  need,  even  the  most  trifling.  It  is  a  precious  record 
of  faith  and  full  of  true  encouragement.  He  answers  as  fol- 
lows this  question:  ^'Should  we  pray  for  temporal  bless- 
ings ? '' 

"  Some  have  affirmed  that  we  have  no  warrant  to  pray  for 
temporal  blessings,  but,  blessed  be  God,  he  has  given  us  ^  the 
promise  of  the  life  that  noio  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  cnme.^ 
Yea,  the  promise  of  all  things  pertaining  to  life  and  Godli- 
ness, and  whatever  God  has  promised  we  may  warrantably 
pray  for. 

"  Those  that  came  to  our  Saviour  in  the  days  of  his  flesh, 
prayed  chiefly  for  temporal  mercies.  The  blind  prayed  for 
sight,  the  lepers  for  a  cure,  the  lame  for  the  use  of  their 
limbs,  and  the  deaf  for  the  use  of  their  ears,  and  surely  had 
they  prayed  unwarrantably,  their  prayers  would  not  have 
been  so  miraculously  answered. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  23? 

"Elijah  prayed  for  a  temporal  mercy  when  he  prayed  for 
rain,  and  it  is  clear  that  God  answered  him.  Elisha  works 
a  miracle  to  produce  a  temporal  mercy  when  he  healed  the 
barren  plains  of  Jericho.  " 

Is  my  reader  a  poor  Christian?  Take  it  patiently.  God 
maketh  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich.  Envy  not  the  ricli. 
Riches  are  often  seen  to  be  a  canker-worm  at  the  root  of  a 
good  man's  comfort,  a  snare  in  his  life,  an  iron  pillar  at  the 
back  of  his  pride.  Agar  prayed  to  be  fed  with  food  convene 
ient  for  him,  and  you  may  pray  for  the  same,  and  what 
God  gives  you  in  answer  to  your  prayer  you  will  be  thankful 
for. 

That  state  is  surely  best  which  keeps  you  dependent  on 
God  and  thankful  to  Him,  and  so  you  shall  find  it  to  the  end. 
Go  on,  poor  Christian,  tntsting  in  the  jprovidence  of  God. 

The  Life  of  his  Child  Saved. 

"  My  eldest  daughter  now  living  fell  sick  at  about  five  or 
six  months  old,  and  was  wasted  to  a  skeleton.  She  had  a 
doctor  to  attend  her,  but  she  got  worse  and  worse.  It  seemed 
as  if  God  intended  to  bereave  us  of  her,  for  he  brought  her 
even  to  death's  door. 

"My  wife  and  I  have  sat  up  with  her  night  after  night, 
watching  the  cradle,  expecting  every  breath  to  be  her  last, 
for  two  or  three  weeks  together.  At  last  I  asked  the  Doctor 
if  he  thought  there  was  any  hope  of  her  life.  He  answered, 
no,  he  would  not  flatter  me.     She  would  surely  die. 

"  This  distressed  me  beyond  measure,  and  as  he  told  me  to 
do  no  more  for  her,  I  left  my  room,  went  to  my  garden  in  the 
evening,  and,  in  my  little  tool  house,  wrestled  hard  with  God 
in  prayer  for  the  life  of  the  child. 

"  I  went  home  satisfied  that  God  had  heard  me ;  and  in 
three  days  the  child  was  as  well  as  she  is  now,  and  ate  as 
heartily.  This  effectually  convinced  me  that  all  things  were 
possible  with  God." 


238  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

God  Sent  Supplies. 

"When  I  had  been  three  weeks  out  of  employment,  I  found 
a  new  place,  and  after  pawning  all  my  best  clothes  to  pay  ex- 
penses, when  the  cart  set  us  down  at  the  new  home  on  Mon- 
day morning,  I  had  the  total  sum  of  ten  pence  half-pennij 
left,  to  provide  for  myself,  my  wife  and  child,  till  the  ensuing 
Saturday  night. 

"Though  I  was  thus  poor,  yet  I  knew  God  had  made 
me  rich  in  faith.  We  went  on  our  knees  beseeching  the 
Almighty  to  send  relief,  as  he  in  his  wisdom  thought 
proper. 

"  The  next  evening  my  landlord's  daughter,  and  son-in-law, 
■came  up  to  see  their  mother,  and  brought  some  baked  meat, 
which  they  had  just  taken  out  of  their  oven,  and  brought  for 
me  and  my  wife  to  sup  along  with  them. 

"These  poor  people  knew  nothing  of  us,  nor  of  our  God. 
The  next  day  in  the  evening  they  did  the  same,  and  kept 
sending  victuals  and  ga-rden  stuff  to  us  all  the  week  long." 

The  God  who  Supplied  Elijah  by  a  Raven 
Supplied  me  with  Fish. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  instances  ever  known,  which 
almost  identically  repeats  the  Bible  over  again,  especially  in 
the  instance  of  Elijah  as  he  was  fed  in  an  unseen  way  by  the 
hand  of  God,  is  given  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Huntington.  He 
was  wholly  unable  to  provide  for  his  family,  and  could  depend 
only  on  God. 

"  As  I  went  over  a  bridge,  I  cast  my  eye  on  the  right-hand 
side,  and  there  lay  a  very  large  eel  on  the  mud  by  the  river 
•side,  apparently  dead.  I  caught  hold  of  it  and  soon  found 
it  was  only  asleep.  With  difficulty  I  got  it  safe  out  of  the 
mud  upon  the  grass,  and  then  carried  it  home.  My  little  one 
was  very  fond  of  it,  and  it  richly  supplied  all  her  wants  that 
day.     But  at  night  I  was  informed  the  eel  was  all  gone^  so 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  239 

ihe  next  day  afforded  me  the  same  distress  and  trouble  as 
the  preceding  da^^  had  done. 

"  The  next  morning,  as  I  entered  the  garden  gate,  I  saw  a 
partridge  lie  dead  on  the  walk.  I  took  it  up  and  found  it 
warm ;  so  I  carried  it  home,  and  it  richly  supplied  the  table 
of  our  little  one  that  day. 

"Again  the  next  day  still  found  me  unprovided,  and 
orought  forth  fresh  work  for  faith  and  prayer.  However,  the 
morrow  took  thought  for  the  things  of  itself,  for  when  I  came 
to  take  the  scythe  in  my  hand  to  mow  the  short  grass,  I 
looked  into  the  pond,  and  there  I  saw  three  very  large  carp 
lying  on  the  water  apparently  sick.  When  the  master  came 
I  told  him  of  it.  He  went  and  looked  and  said  they  were 
'lead,  and^told  me  I  might  have  them  if  I  would,  for  they 
were  not  in  season.  However,  they  came  in  due  season  to 
me.  And  I  found,  morning  after  morning,  there  lay  two  or 
three  of  these  fish  at  a  time,  dead,  just  as  I  wanted  them, 
till  I  believe  there  was  not  one  live  fish  remaining,  six  inches 
yong,  in  the  pond,  ivhich  ivas  near  three  hundred  feet  in 
length. 

"  I  could  not  help  weeping,  admiring  the  goodness  of  God. 
As  I  studied  the  Bible,  I  clearly  perceived  that  the  most  emi- 
nent saints  of  the  Bible  were  brought  into  low  circumstances, 
as  Jacob,  David,  Moses,  Joseph,  Job  and  Jeremiah,  and  aH 
the  apostles,  in  order  that  the  hand  of  providence  might  be 
watched." 

G-od  Takes  away  the  Snow. 

"  In  the  Winter  the  Lord  sent  a  very  deep  snow,  which  lay 
:%  considerable  time  on  the  ground.  We  were  brought  into 
great  straits,  as  our  wheat  was  now  of  no  use  to  us,  and  we 
^ould  obtain  no  wood,  the  landlady  saying  that  as  the  snow 
was  likely  to  last  some  time,  she  must  keep  what  little  she 
nad  left,  and  could  sell  us  no  more. 

"  There  was  before  us  the  fear  of  great  suffering  with  the 
€old.     I  begged  of  God  that  he  might  that  night  take  away 


240  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

the  snow,  and  send  us  something  to  burn,  that  our  little  one 
might  not  perish  with  the  cold,  and  the  next  inormng  the 
snow  was  all  gone.^^ 

Sight  Restored. 

"  A  violent  humor  came  into  my  eyes,  and  for  some  months 
I  was  in  danger  of  losing  my  sight.  Both  myself  and  my 
second  daughter  had  it  more  or  less  for  several  years. 

''  In  answer  to  prayer,  God  healed  her  eyes  and  mine  too,  so 
that  our  sight  was  perfectly  recovered." 

Praying  for  Tea. 

"  As  the  life  of  faith  consists  in  bearing  the  cross  of  Christ, 
we  must  not  expect  to  be  long  without  trials.  Providence 
soon  frowned  on  me  again,  and  I  got  behindhand,  as  usual. 

"  This  happened  at  a  time  when  my  wife  was  about  delivery 
of  child,  and  we  were  destitute  of  those  necessaries  of  life 
which  are  needful  at  such  times.  The  nurse  came  :  we  told 
her  there  was  no  tea  in  the  house.  My  wife  replied,  '  Set 
the  kettle  on,  even  if  there  is  not. ' 

^'  The  nurse  said,  '■  You  have  no  tea^  nor  can  you  get  any.'' 
My  wife  replied,  ^Se.t  on  the  kettle.^  She  did  so,  and  before 
it  boiled,  a  woman  (with  whom  at  that  time  we  had  no  ac- 
quaintance) came  to  the  door,  and  told  the  nurse  that  she  had 
brought  some  tea  as  a  present  for  my  wife." 

The  Lord  Paid  His  Debt. 

*'  It  was  the  time  of  my  returning  from  the  north  country. 
I  observed  that  there  were  some  small  debts  to  be  dfscnarged. 
But  the  hand  of  God  was  fast  closed  ;  this  continued  ^kjt  c>ome 
time  :  and  for  all  that  time,  I  watched  and  observed  narrowly. 

"At  this  time  there  was  a  special  debt  due  of  twenty  pounds. 
This  sum  hung  long.  I  looked  different  ways,  ana  chalked 
out  different  roads  for  the  Almighty  to  walk  in ;  but  his  paths 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  241 

were  in  the  deep  waters,  and  his  footsteps  were  not  known ; 
no  raven  came,  neither  in  the  morning,  nor  in  the  evening. 

'•There  was  a  gentlewoman  at  mj  house  on  a  visit,  and  I 
asked  her  if  she  had  got  the  sum  of  twenty  pounds  in  her 
pocket,  telling  her  at  the  same  time  how  much  I  wanted  it. 
She  told  me  she  had  not ;  if  she  had,  I  should  have  it.  A 
few  hours  after,  the  same  woman  was  coming  into  my  study, 
but  she  found  it  locked,  and  knocked  at  the  door;  I  let  her  in, 
and  she  said,  '  I  am  sorry  I  disturbed  you.'  I  replied,  '  You 
do  not  disturb  me  ;  I  have  been  begging  a  favor  of  God,  and 
I  had  just  done  when  you  knocked ;  and  that  favor  I  have 
now  got  in  faith,  and  shall  shortly  have  in  hand,  and  you  will 
see  it.' " 

"  The  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  two  gentlemen  out  of  the 
city  came  to  see  me ;  and  after  a  few  hours  of  conversation, 
they  left  me,  and  to  my  great  surprise,  each  of  them  at  part- 
ing put  a  letter  into  my  hand,  which,  when  they  were  gone,  I 
opened,  and  found  a  ten  p)ound  note  in  each.  I  immediately 
sent  for  the  woman  up-stairs,  and  let  her  read  the  letters,  and 
then  sent  the  money  to  pay  the  debt." 

It  is  impossible  to  give  in  this  page  any  large  portion  of 
the  life  of  Mr.  Huntington,  who  was  rich  in  faith,  and  upon 
whom  God  showered  abundant  answers  to  prayer.  But,  like 
all  of  us,  he,  too,  suffered  extremely  in  all  the  necessities  of 
life,  yet  ever  looked  to  God  above  for  help.  Of  his  experience, 
he  says  in  his  own  words,  after  having  for  years  thoroughly 
tested  the  promises  and  faithfulness  of  God  : 

"  A  succession  of  crosses  was  always  followed  with  per- 
petual blessings,  for  as  sure  as  adversity  led  the  va7i,  so  sure 
prosperity  brought  up  the  rear. 

^^Never,  no  never,  did  the  Holy  Spirit  withhold  his  preva- 
lent intercession  from  me  in  tiines  of  trouble,  nor  did  my  God 
ever  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  my  prayer,  or  fail  to  deliver  me." 

^^  Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous^  but  the  Lord 
delivereth  him  out  of  them  all." 
16 


HOW   GOD    HONORS  THEIR  TRUST,  AND  ANSWERS 
THEIR    PRAYERS. 


God  Keeps  Hold  of  the  Other  Hand. 

A  little  boy  with  his  mother  was  returning  from  a  visit; 
the  night  was  very  dark,  and  little  could  be  seen  ahead.  She 
led  her  little  boy,  by  the  hand,  who  trustingly  walked  b}^  her 
side.  He  had  only  just  begun  to  learn  and  remember  the 
stories  of  the  Bible,  and  he  believed  and  trusted  everything 
he  heard.  After  walking  for  sometime  in  the  darkness,  very 
silently,  he  burst  out  with, 

^'  Mamma,  I'm  not  afraid." 

"  Why,  what  makes  you  feel  so." 

"  Because,  mammay  God  keeps  hold  of  the  other  handP 

This  is  the  beautiful  lesson  older  ones,  too,  must  learn,  the 
simple,  childlike  confidence  in  God,  which  gives  no  fear,  no 
alarm. 

The  skeptic  can  never  accuse  little  children  of  the  same 
theories,  philosophies,  imaginations  and  beliefs  which  are 
characteristic  of  older  heads.  The  child  knows  nothing  of 
such  books  of  reason,  science  or  religion.  Many  a  child  who 
could  not  read  has  asked  of  God  and  his  prayer  has  been 
answered ;  and  when  the  whole  world  witnesses  a  little  child, 
wno  in  its  innocence  has  been  told  that  God  lives,  that  God 
loves  him,  that  God  can  do  everything  and  will  surely  hear 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  243 

his  prayer,  and  then  in  its  care  and  grief,  kneels  before  the 
God  it  trusts,  offers  its  little  prayer,  and  the  prayer  is  an- 
swelled,  let  none  of  maturer  minds  ever  presume  to  doubt. 
The  faith  of  little  children  is  typical  of  the  very  simplest  faith 
wherewith  any  human  being  must  approach  its  Creator.  The 
child  never  questions,  never  doubts ;  but  in  its  simplicity 
asks,  and  God  honors  the  trust.  The  following  incident  illus- 
trates the  point,  tliat  not  one  thing  is  ere  too  small  for  God  to 
consider,  or  a  soul  to  hi'ing  to  him  in  prayer. 


A  Child  whose  Life  was  Saved  in  Answer 
to  Prayer— by  his  own  Prayer  the  Life 
of  his  Sister  is  Saved. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  incidents  ever  known  relating  to 
the  faith  of  children,  and  the  reward  of  their  trust,  is  con- 
tained in  the  following  circumstance,  personally  known  to  the 
editor  of  this  book,  who  was  a  participant  in  the  facts. 

The  only  child  of  a  young  married  couple,  living  in  this 
city,  their  pride,  their  hope  and  joy,  and  the  darling  of  the 
whole  family,  was  seized  with  severe  sickness,  grew  rapidly 
worse.  The  grandfather,  who  was  a  skilled  physician,  was 
■constantly  present,  ministering  in  every  way,  by  every  means, 
but  nothing  was  of  any  avail.  No  medicine  could  cure,  and 
the  child  seemed  ready  to  die.  No  one  could  think  of  relief 
or  knew  where  to  find  it.  The  grandfather,  at  last,  proposed 
to  lay  the  case  before  God,  and  ask  the  prayers  of  His  people 
in  the  child's  behalf.  The  mother  was  only  too  glad  to  ask 
other  prayers  with  her  own,  to  bring  relief.  The  father,  who 
had  hitherto  never  seriously  thought  of  religion,  was  in  in- 
tense anxiety  and  despair.  Here  was  his  first,  his  only  child 
about  to  be  taken  away  from  him,  and  then  came  the  thought, 
is  it  possible  his  family  life  was  not  to  be  blessed  ;  his  child 
was  in  distress,  no  human  effort  was  available.  At  last,  he 
too  joined  in  the  prayer  of  his  wife  and  father,  and  bowing 


244  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

before  the  Great  Unknown,  unseen  God,  he  poured  out  his 
heart  in  prayer,  saying,  ^^  Lord,  if  thou  ivllt  spare  my  child, 
wilt  give  him  life,  and  thus  show  to  me  thy  power  and  will 
to  save,  I  will  never  doubt  again,  and  will  give  thee  my 
heart'' 

A  request  for  prayer  was  written  and  sent  to  the  pastor. 
Dr.  William  Adams,  of  the  Madison  Square  Church.  It 
arrived  after  church  service  had  begun  ;  the  sexton  was  un- 
>villing  to  carry  it  to  the  pulpit,  as  it  was  against  the  rule, 
but  when  told  he  must,  as  a  life  was  in  great  danger,  he  con- 
sented, and  delivered  it  to  the  pastor. 

The  messenger  waited  breathlessly,  and  when  in  silence 
the  doctor  specifically  mentioned  the  case  before  him,  and 
asked  the  Lord  to  heal  and  spare  the  little  one,  and  comfort 
the  hearts  of  all,  and  make  it  a  witness  of  his  love  and  power, 
the  messenger  accidently  looked  at  the  clock,  and  it  marked 
just  quarter  to  eleven,  A.  m. 

When  prayer  was  finished  he  returned  home.  Arriving  at 
home,  he  w^as  astonished  to  find  the  child  better,  its  whole 
condition  had  changed,  the  medicine  had  taken  hold,  and  the 
doctor  now  said  everything  was  so  hopeful  the  child  would 
surely  recover,  and  it  did.  But  mark  the  unparalleled  singu- 
larity of  the  scene.  The  father  asked  the  messenger  the  time 
when  the  prayer  was  offered.  He  replied,  "At  a  quarter  to 
eleven^  The  father  in  astonishment  said,  "  At  that  very 
moment  the  disease  changed,  and  the  doctor  said  he  was  bet- 
ter." 

The  father,  who  had  thus  been  proving  the  Lord  with  this 
test  of  prayer  and  its  identity  of  time  in  his  answer,  was  so 
overwhelmingly  convinced  of  the  real  power  of  prayer,  and 
thereby  of  the  real  existence  of  God,  and  that  a  Christian  life 
was  one  of  facts  as  well  as  beliefs,  now  finding  that  the  Lord 
had  indeed  kept  His  own  promise,  he,  too,  kept  his  promise 
and  gave  his  heart  to  the  Lord,  and  became  henceforth,  a  pro- 
fessing Christian. 

But  there  were  more  wonderful  things  yet  to  happen — a 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  245 

period  of  five  years  passed.  Other  children  were  added  to  the 
family,  and  one  day,  the  youngest,  a  sweet,  beautiful  girl,  was 
taken  suddenly  ill  with  convulsions.  The  sickness  for  days 
tasked  the  strength  of  the  mother,  and  the  skill  of  the  doctor, 
but  no  care,  ingenuity,  or  knowledge  could  overcome  the  disease 
or  subdue  the  pain.  The  little  girl's  fits  were  severe  and  dis- 
tressing, and  there  were  but  short  intervals  between,  just 
time  to  come  out  of  one  and  with  a  gasp,  pass  into  another 
still  more  terrible.  In  its  occasional  moments  of  reason,  it 
would  look  piteously  as  if  mutely  appealing,  and  then  the 
next  convulsion  would  take  it  and  seem  to  leave  it  just  at 
death's  door. 

All  attendants  were  worn  with  care,  the  doctor  fairly  lived 
in  the  house  and  forsook  all  his  other  business.  The  clergy- 
man came  and  comforted  the  anxious  hearts  with  words  of 
sympathy  and  prayer;  but  her  little  brother  Merrill,  (whose 
own  life  we  have  just  related,)  tender-hearted,  a  mere  child, 
scarce  seven  years  of  age,  who  had  known  of  the  L'ord,  and 
who  believed  that  He  was  everywhere  and  could  do  every- 
thing, was  intensely  grieved  at  ''Mamie's  "  distress,  and  came 
at  last  to  his  mother  and  asked  if  he  could  go  and  ^^  make 
a  prayer  to  God  for  Sissy ^  The  mother  said,  "  Go,"  The 
little  boy  went  back  into  his  room,  and  kneeling  humbly  by 
the  side  of  his  bed,  as  he  did  at  his  night  and  morning 
prayers,  uttered  this  request : 

"  0  God, please  to  bless  little  sister,  she  is  very  sick.  Please 
stop  her  Jits  so  she  wonH  have  any  more.  For  Jesus'  sake, 
aiyien.''^ 

He  came  back,  told  his  mamma  what  he  said,  and  added : 
^^ Mamma,  I  donH  think  she  will  have  any  more." 

Now  mark  how  the  Lord  honored  this  simple  faith  of  the 
little  child.  From,  that  very  moment  the  fits  left  her.  They 
never  returned  ;  and  the  child  soon  entirely  recovered. 

Notice  the  full  beauty  and  instruction  of  these  two  inci- 
dents :  Little  MerrilVs  life  luas  saved  in  answer  to  prayer ; 
was  the  means  of  his  father'' s  salvation,  and  when  he  in  turn 


246  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

had  grown  to  an  age  when  he  could  learn  of  God,  his  own 
prayer  was  the  means  of  saving  his  own  sister'^ s  life. 

Notice,  too,  that  all  earthly  available  means  were  used  to 
save  each  child,  but  to  no  effect.  Physicians  and  parents  con- 
sidered the  case  hopeless,  and  then  committed  it  to  the  decis- 
ion of  God. 

Notice,  too,  that  when  little  Merrill  was  so  sick,  that  the 
mother  and  doctor  both  pra^^ed,  yet  it  was  not  until  his  father 
had  also  prayed  that  the  answer  came.  God  meant  to  honor  the 
faith  of  the  first  two,  but  was  lualting  for  the  praijer  of  the 
third  ere  he  granted  the  request.  That  child's  sickness  was 
one  of  the  purposes  of  God.  Notice  in  the  second  case,  that 
while  father,  mother,  doctor,  the  clergyman,  and  others  of  the 
house  were  all  trusting  in  prayer,  yet  the  Lord  was  waiting 
for  the  prayer  of  the  little  brother,  ere  he  sent  the  blessing  of 
relief.  Such  an  incident  draws  its  own  conclusion.  Never 
cease  in  prayer  for  anything  which  is  to  God^s  honor  and 
glory.  Use  all  the  possible  means  to  help  God.  Where  human 
means  are  of  no  avail,  commit  it  to  God  and  wait  in  humble 
resignation.  Ask  others  to  pray,  too,  for  the  same  object,  that 
when  the  answer  comes,  God  may  be  glorified  before  the  sight 
of  others  as  well  as  your  own.  When  so  many  are  waiting 
to  see  if  God  will  honor  his  promises,  depend  upon  it,  God 
tuill  be  found  faithful  to  all  his  ivord. 

Trusting  in  G-od's  Promises. 

'^  It  was  a  fierce,  wild  night  in  March,  and  the  blustering 
wind  was  blowing,  accompanied  by  the  sharp,  sleety  snow.  It 
was  very  desolate  without,  but  still  more  desolate  within  the 
home  I  am  going  to  describe  to  you.  The  room  was  large 
and  almost  bare,  and  the  wind  whistled  through  the  cracks 
in  the  most  dismal  manner.  In  one  corner  of  the  room  stood 
an  old-fashioned  bedstead  upon  which  a  woman  lay,  her  ema- 
ciated form  showing  her  to  be  in  the  last  stage  of  consump- 
tioii.     A  low  fire  burned  in  the  large  fire-place,  and  before  it 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  247 

a  little  girl  was  kneeling.  She  had  a  small  testament,  and 
was  trying  by  the  dim  fire-light  to  read  a  chapter,  as  was  her 
custom,  before  going  to  bed.  A  faint  voice  called  to  her  from 
the  bed,  '  Nellie,  my  daughter,  read  the  14th  chapter  of  St 
John  for  your  Mother.'  '  Yes,  Mother,'  was  the  reply,  and 
after  turning  the  leaves  a  few  moments,  the  child  began. 
All  that  long  Winter  day  that  poor  mother  had  been  tortured 
with  pain  and  remorse.  She  was  poor,  very  poor,  and  she 
knew  she  must  die  and  leave  her  child  to  the  mercies  of  the 
world.  Her  husband  had  died  several  years  before.  Since 
then  she  had  struggled  on,  as  best  she  could,  till  now  she  had 
almost  grown  to  doubt  God's  promises  to  the  helpless.  '■  In 
my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions.'  'I  go  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you.'  Here  the  little  reader  paused,  and  crept  to 
her  mother's  side.  She  lay  motionless,  with  closed  eyes,  while 
great  hot  tears  were  stealing  down  her  wasted  cheeks. 
'  Mother,  He  has  a  place  almost  ready  for  you,  hasn't  He.' 
^Yes,  my  child,  and  I  am  going  very  soon,  but  He  will  watch 
over  you,  Nellie,  when  Mother  has  gone  to  her  last  home.' 

"The  weeks  went  slowly  by  to  the  suffering  invalid;  but 
when  the  violets  were  blooming,  they  made  a  grave  upon  the 
hillside,  and  laid  the  weary  body  down  to  rest,  but  the  spirit 
had  gone  to  the  home  which  Christ  himself  had  gone  to 
prepare. 

"Years  passed  away.  It  was  sunny  May.  The  little 
church  of  Grenville  was  crowded.  I  noticed  in  one  of  the  seats 
a  lady  plainly  but  neatly  attired.  There  was  nothing  remark^ 
able  in  the  face  with  its  mournful  brown  eyes,  and  decided 
looking  mouth  and  chin.  I  ransacked  my  memory  to  find 
who  the  lady  was.  Suddenly  a  vision  of  the  poor  widow  came. 
This,  then,  was  the  little  girl,  little  Nellie  Mason.  'We  will 
read  a  part  of  the  14th  chapter  of  St.  John,'  the  minister  said. 
'In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions;  I  go  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you.'  The  slow,  deliberate  tones  recalled  me  from 
my  reverie,  and  I  looked  at  Nellie.  Her  head  was  bowed,  but 
I  could  see  the  tears  flowing  like  rain." 


248  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

The  Faith  of  a  Little  Child. 

An  incident  most  beautiful  was  told  in  the  Fulton  Street 
prayer  meeting  by  a  converted  Jew. 

"Journeying  in  the  cars,  I  was  attracted  by  two  little  girls, 
Jewesses.  I  asked  them  if  they  loved  Jesus.  To  my  sur- 
prise, they  said  they  did.  I  found  that  their  mother  was  in 
a  seat  near  by.  She  had  attended  some  of  the  gospel  meet- 
ings for  Jews,  and  was  interested  in  them.  She  said  her 
husband  had  not  been  to  church  or  synagogue  for  eleven 
years,  and  she  did  not  know  his  views  on  religion.  Her  two 
little  girls  had  attended  a  Methodist  Sunday  school,  and  there 
learned  of  Jesus.  A  day  or  so  after,  the  mother  was  taken 
very  sick,  and  remedies  failing,  the  eldest  child,  a  little  over 
eight  years  old,  said :  '  0  Mamma,  if  you  will  let  me  pray  to 
Jesus  for  you.  He  can  take  away  your  pains  and  give  j^ou 
sleep.'  She  knelt  with  her  sister  and  praj^ed  in  simple 
words  to  Jesus  to  heal  her  mother,  telling  Him  that  He  had 
so  promised  to  hear  prayer.  Shortly  after,  the  mother,  after 
long  hours  of  restlessness  and  suffering,  fell  into  a  deep 
sleep  and  awoke  relieved  of  pain  and  much  refreshed.  She 
heard  from  her  daughter's  lips  the  story  of  her  faith  in  Jesus 
and  love  for  Him,  and  then  sent  for  me,  begging  me  to  pray 
for  her.  I  am  glad  to  tell  you  that  she  is  now  a  converted 
woman,  a  believer  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'* 

The  Wanderer  Found. 

A  mother  sent  a  request  for  prayer  to  the  Fulton  Street 
prayer- meeting,  that  she  might  hear  from  him  who  had  long 
ago  left  home,  and  wandered  far  away.  She  had  been  pray- 
ing very  earnestly  for  him,  and  soon  she  WTote  that  she  had 
just  heard  from  him,  and  heard  too  that  he  had  become  a 
Christian  and  learned  to  trust  in  Him. 


ANSWEKS    TO    PRAYER.  249 

Are  You  There. 

A  mother,  one  morning,  gave  her  two  little  ones  books  and 
toys  to  amuse  them  while  she  went  up-stairs  to  attend  to  some- 
thing. A  half  hour  passed  quietly  away,  and  then  one  of  the 
little  ones  went  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  and  in  a  timid  voice 
called  out,  '^  Mamma,  are  you  there  ?  ^' 

"  Yes,  darling."' 

''  All  right,"  said  the  little  one,  and  went  on  with  her  play. 
By-and-by  the  question  was  repeated,  ''Mamma,  are  vou 
there  ?  '^ 

"Yes,  darling." 

^'  All  right,"  said  the  child  again,  and  once  more  went  on 
with  her  play.  And  this  is  just  the  way  we  should  feel 
towards  Jesus.  He  has  gone  up-stairs,  to  the  right  hand  of 
God,  to  attend  to  some  things  for  us.  He  has  left  us  down  in 
this  lower  room  of  this  world  to  be  occupied  here  for  a  while. 
But  to  keep  us  from  being  worried  by  fear  or  care.  He 
speaks  to  us  from  His  word,  as  that  mother  spoke  to  her  little 
ones.  He  says  to  us,  "  Fear  not ;  I  am  with  thee.  I  will  never 
leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee."     "  The  Lord  will  provide." 

And  so  we  see  how  certain  it  is  that  God  does  provide  relief 
in  trouble  for  those  who  love,  and  serve  Him. 

God  Knows  the  Bottom  of  the  Barrel. 

''  Mother,  I  think  God  always  hears  when  we  scrape  the 
bottom  of  the  barrel,"  said  a  little  boy  to  his  mother  one  day. 
His  mother  was  poor.  They  often  used  up  their  last  stick  of 
wood  and  their  last  bit  of  bread  before  they  could  tell  where 
the  next  supply  was  to  come  from.  But  they  had  so  often 
been  provided  for  in  unexpected  ways,  just  when  they  were 
most  in  need,  that  the  little  boy  thought  God  always  heard 
when  they  scraped  the  bottom  of  the  barrel.  This  was  only 
that  little  fellow's  way  of  saying  what  Abraham  said  when  he 
called  the  name  of  the  place  where  God  had  delivered  him, 
"  Jehovah-Jireh." 


250  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

G-od's  Care  for  Little  Children  in  Little 
Wants. 

^'  I  was  early  taught  that  God  cares  for  His  children,  even 
to  regard  their  little  daily  wants.  An  illustration  of  my 
implicit  confidence,  which  I  do  not  remember  ever  to  have 
been  betrayed,  occurred  when  I  was  about  ten  years  of  age. 
I  was  accustomed  to  give  five  cents  each  Sabbath  at  the  Sun- 
day School  collection  for  foreign  missions.  This  money  was 
not  given  me  directly  by  my  parents  ;  but  I  was  allowed  to 
go  on  an  errand,  or  to  do  some  little  piece  of  work  for  a  neigh- 
bor and  thus  earn  it,  outside  of  the  performance  of  the  duties 
that  naturally  fell  to  my»lot  at  home.  At  one  time,  when  I 
was  attending  scliool  about  a  mile  from  home,  my  time  out  of 
school  was  taken  up  by  my  walk  to  and  from  it  and  the  chores 
which  necessarily  fall  to  a  farmer's  boy,  so  that  for  some 
months  I  had  no  opportunity  of  earning  anything.  One  Sab- 
bath morning,  I  dropped  my  last  silver  piece  into  the  collec- 
tion, with  a  prayer — which  I  always  offered  at  such  a  time — 
that  God  would  bless  it  to  the  heathen,  that  some  one  might 
be  led  to  Him  by  it. 

"  I  went  home  that  day  with  a  child's  anxiety,  feeling  that  I 
could  not  bear  the  thought  of  giving  nothing  for  the  heathen 
on  next  Sabbath,  and  yet  not  seeing  how  I  could  possibly  ob- 
tain it.  That  night  I  asked  my  Heavenly  Father  to  provide 
the  money  for  me.  The  anxiety  was  all  gone  ;  for  I  felt  that 
God  would  answer.  Next  morning,  when  almost  at  the 
school-house,  I  found  a  handkerchief  in  the  road,  in  the  corner 
of  which  was  securely  tied  a  silver  quarter  and  a  silver  dime. 
Instantly  my  thoughts  flew  to  the  next  Sabbath,  and  to  the 
prayer  I  had  offered.  0,  yes  !  I  thought,  God  has  more  than 
answered  my  prayer;  instead  of  giving  me  just  enough  for 
next  Sabbath,  He  has  given  me  enough  for  seven  Sabbaths. 

Then  the  thought  came,  somebody  lost  it ;  yes,  it  was  my 
duty  to  find  the  owner,  which  I  did  not  expect  would  be  diffi- 
culty although  it  was  in  town.     So  I  cheerfully  gave  it  up, 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  251 

thinking  that  ^  the  Lord  will  provide '  in  some  other  way.  I 
took  it  directly  to  my  teacher,  and  asked  her  to  find  the  owner. 
She  made  faithful  inquiry,  but  no  one  was  found  to  claim  it. 
Who  can  question  this  being  an  answer  to  prayer,  when  we 
think  of  the  numerous  cliances  against  its  occurring  just  as 
it  did." 

A  Cliild's  Prayer  for  Papa. 

A  drunkard,  who  had  run  through  his  property,  returned 
one  night  to  his  unfurnished  house.  He  entered  his  empty 
hall.  Anguish  was  gnawing  at  his  heart-strings,  and  lan- 
guage was  inadequate  to  express  his  agony  as  he  entered  his 
wife's  apartment,  and  there  beheld  the  victims  of  his  ajipe- 
tite,  his  loving  wife  and  a  darling  child.  Morose  and  sullen, 
he  seated  himself  without  saying  a  word ;  he  could  not  speak  ; 
he  could  not  look  up  then.  The  mother  said  to  the  little 
angel  at  her  side,  "Come,  m}^  child,  it  is  time  to  go  to  bed;'" 
and  that  little  baby,  as  she  was  wont,  knelt  by  her  mother's 
lap  and  gazing  wistfully  into  the  face  of  her  suffering  parent, 
like  a  piece  of  chiseled  statuary,  slowly  repeated  her  nightly 
orison.  When  she  had  finished,  the  child  (but  four  years  of 
age)  said  to  her  mother,  "  Dear  Mother,  may  I  not  offer  up 
one  more  prayer  ?  "  "  Yes,  yes,  my  sweet  pet,  pray  ;  "  and 
she  lifted  up  her  tiny  hands,  closed  her  eyes,  and  prayed : 
"  0  God  !  spare,  oh  !  spare  my  dear  papa  !  "  That  prayer 
was  lifted  with  electric  rapidity  to  the  throne  of  God.  It 
was  heard  on  high — it  was  heard  on  earth.  The  responsive 
"  Amen  !  "  burst  from  the  father's  lips,  and  his  heart  of  stone 
became  a  heart  of  flesh.  Wife  and  child  were  both  clasped 
to  his  bosom,  and  in  penitence  he  said  :  "  My  child,  you  have 
saved  your  father  from  the  grave  of  a  drunkard.  I'll  sign 
the  pledge  !" 


252  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

A  Little  Quaker  Boy's  Prayer  right  out 
in  Meeting. 

A  little  Quaker  boy,  about  six  years  old,  after  sitting,  like 
the  rest  of  the  congregation,  in  silence,  all  being  afraid  to 
speak  first,  as  he  thought,  got  up  on  the  seat,  and,  folding 
his  arms  over  his  breast,  murmured  in  a  clear,  sweet  voice, 
just  loud  enough  to  be  distinctly  heard  on  the  front  seat,  "  I 
do  wish  the  Lord  would  make  us  all  gooder,  and  gooder,  and 
gooder,  till  there  is  no  bad  left." 

What  the  Little  Children  may  Do. 

At  family  prayer,  little  Mary,  one  evening  when  all  was 
silent,  looked  anxiously  in  the  face  of  her  backsliding  father, 
who  had  ceased  to  pray  in  his  family,  and  said  to  him  with 
quivering  lips,  "  Pa,  is  God  dead  ?  " 

"  No,  my  child — why  do  you  ask  that  ?  " 

''  Why,  Pa,  you  never  talk  to  him  now  as  you  used  to  do," 
she  replied. 

These  words  haunted  the  father  until  he  was  mercifully 
reclaimed. 

The  Unbelieving  Father  led  to  go  to 
Church. 

An  unbelieving  father  came  home  one  evening  and  asked 
where  his  little  girl  was.  "  She  has  gone  to  bed,"  said  his 
wife.  ''  I'll  just  go  and  give  her  one  kiss,"  said  the  father, 
for  he  loved  his  little  daughter  dearly.  As  he  stood  at  the 
door  of  her  bedroom,  he  heard  some  one  praying.  It  was 
his  little  Jane,  and  he  heard  her  say,  "  Do,  God  Almighty, 
please  lead  daddy  to  hear  Mr.  Stowell  preach." 

She  had  often  asked  him  to  go,  and  he  had  always  said, 
"  No,  no,  my  child."  After  listening  to  her  prayer,  he  de- 
termined, the  next  time  she  asked  him,  to  accompany  her, 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  253 

which  he  did,  and  heard  a  sermon  which  took  his  attention 
and  pricked  his  conscience.  On  leaving  the  church,  he 
clasped  the  hand  of  his  little  girl  in  his,  and  said,  "  Jane,  thy 
God  shall  be  my  God,  and  thy  minister  shall  be  my  minister." 
And  the  man  became  a  true  follower  of  the  Lord. 


A  Child's  Prayer  for  Relief 

An  interesting  little  daughter  of  a  professor  in  Danville, 
Kentucky,  in  the  Summer  of  1876,  in  eating  a  watermelon, 
got  one  of  the  seeds  lodged  in  her  windpipe.  The  effort  was 
made  to  remove  it,  but  proved  ineffectual,  and  it  was  thought 
that  the  child  would  have  to  be  taken  to  one  of  the  large 
cities  to  have  an  operation  performed  by  a  skillful  surgeon. 
To  this  she  was  decidedly  opposed,  and  pleaded  with  her 
mamma  to  tell  her  if  there  was  no  other  way  of  relief.  Fi- 
nally, in  order  to  quiet  her  childish  fears,  her  Christian  mother 
told  her  to  ask  God  to  help  her. 

The  little  one  went  into  an  adjoining  room  and  offered  her 
prayer  to  God  to  help  her.  Shortly  thereafter  she  came  run- 
ning to  her  mamma  with  the  seed  in  her  hand,  and  her  beau- 
tiful and  intelligent  face  lighted  up  with  joy.  In  response  to 
the  eager  inquiry  of  the  mother,  the  little  one  said  that  she 
had  asked  God  to  help  her,  and  while  she  was  praying  she 
was  taken  with  a  severe  cough,  in  which  she  threw  up  the 
seed. 

God's  Care  over  His  People— The  Praying 
Widow- 

A  young  widow  with  two  children  was  living  in  the  city  of 
Berlin.  She  was  a  Christian  woman,  and  trusted  in  Jehovah- 
Jireh  to  take  care  of  her.  One  evening  she  had  to  be  away 
for  a  while.  During  her  absence  a  man  entered  her  house 
for  the  purpose  of  robbing  her.  But  "the  Lord  who  pro- 
vides "  protected  her  from  this  danger  in  a  very  singular  way. 


254  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

On  returning  to  her  home  she  found  a  note  lying  on  her  table, 
which  read  as  follows : 

"Madam,  I  came  here  with  the  intention  of  robbing  you, 
but  the  sight  of  this  little  room,  with  the  religious  pictures 
hanging  around  in  it,  and  those  two  sweet-looking  children 
quietly  sleeping  in  their  little  bed,  have  touched  ray  heart. 
I  cannot  take  anything  of  yours.  The  small  amount  of  money 
lying  on  your  desk  I  leave  untouched,  and  I  take  the  liberty 
of  adding  fifty  dollars  besides."  The  Bible  tells  us  that  "the 
hearts  of  men  are  in  the  hands  of  God,  and  he  turneth  them 
as  the  rivers  of  waters  are  turned."  He  turned  the  heart  of 
this  robber  from  his  wicked  purpose,  and  in  this  way  he  pro- 
tected the  widow  who  trusted  in  him. 


G-od  Saved  a  Family  Mercifally. 

One  morning  a  Christian  farmer,  in  Khode  Island,  put  two 
bushels  of  rye  in  his  wagon  and  started  to  the  mill  to  get  it 
ground.  On  his  way  to  the  mill  he  had  to  drive  over  a  bridge 
that  had  no  railings  to  the  sides  of  it.  When  he  reached  the 
middle  of  this  bridge  his  horse,  a  quiet,  gentle  creature,  began 
all  at  once  to  back.  In  spite  of  all  the  farmer  could  do,  he 
kept  on  backing  till  the  hinder  wheels  went  over  the  side  of 
the  bridge,  and  the  bag  of  grain  was  tipped  out  and  fell  into 
the  stream.  Then  the  horse  stood  still.  Some  men  came  to 
help  the  farmer.  The  wagon  was  lifted  back  and  the  bag  of 
grain  was  fished  up  from  the  water.  Of  course  it  could  not 
be  taken  to  the  mill  in  that  state.  So  the  farmer  had  to  take 
it  home  and  dry  it.  He  had  prayed  that  morning  that  God 
would  protect  and  help  him  through  the  day,  and  he  wondered 
what  this  accident  had  happened  for.  He  found  out,  how- 
ever, before  long.  On  spreading  out  the  grain  to  dry  he  no- 
ticed a  great  many  small  pieces  of  glass  mixed  up  with  it. 
If  this  had  been  ground  up  with  the  grain  into  the  flour  it 
would  have  caused  the  death  of  himself  and  his  family.  But 
Jehovah-Jireh  was  on  that  bridge.     He  made  the  horse  back 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  255 

and  throw  the  grain  into  the  water  to  save  the  family  from 
the  danger  that  threatened  them. 

A  Child's  Faith,  in  the  Lord's  Prayer. 

About  the  30th  of  July,  1864,  the  beautiful  village  of  Cham- 
bersburgh  was  invaded  and  pillaged  by  the  Confederate  army. 
A  superintendent  of  a  Sabbath  school,  formerly  resident  in 
the  South,  but  who  had  been  obliged  to  flee  to  the  North 
because  of  his  known  faithfulness  to  the  national  government, 
was  residing  there,  knowing  that  if  discovered  by  the  Confed- 
erate soldiers,  he  would  be  in  great  peril  of  life,  property  and 
every  indignity, — in  the  gray  dawn  of  that  memorable  day, 
with  his  wife  and  two  little  girls,  again  on  foot,  he  fled  to  the 
chain  of  mountains  lying  north-west  of  the  doomed  village. 

After  remaining  out  for  some  days  and  nights,  with  no 
shelter  but  such  as  was  afforded  by  the  friendly  boughs  of 
large  forest  trees,  and  without  food,  they  became  nearly  fam- 
ished. At  last,  the  head  of  the  family,  unable  to  endure  the 
agony  of  beholding  his  wife  and  children  starving  to  death 
before  his  face,  and  he  not  able  to  render  the  needed  relief, 
withdrew  to  a  place  by  himself,  that  he  might  not  witness 
the  sad  death  of  his  loved  ones.  With  his  back  against  a 
large  oak,  he  had  been  seated  only  a  short  time,  when  his 
eldest  little  daughter,  not  quite  ten  years  old,  came  to  him 
and  exclaimed : 

"  Father,  father,  I  have  found  such  a  precious  text  in  my 
little  Testament,  which  I  brought  to  the,  mountain  with  me, 
for  very  joy  I  could  not  stop  to  read  it  to  mother,  but 
hastened  to  you  with  it.  Please  listen  while  I  readP  To 
which  he  said : 

"  Yes,  my  child,  read  it.  There  is  comfort  to  be  found  in 
the  Scriptures.  We  will  not  long  be  together  on  earth,  and 
there  could  be  no  better  way  of  spending  our  last  mortal 
hours."     To  which  she  replied : 

"0,  father,  I  believe  that  we  will  not  die  at  this  timej  that 


256  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

we  will  not  be  permitted  to  starve  ;  that  God  will  surely  send 
us  relief  ;  but  do  let  me  read."  Then  opening  her  dear  little 
volume,  at  the  ninth  verse  of  the  sixth  chapter  of  Matthew, 
she  read  as  follows  : 

^'  '■  Our  Father,  which  art  in  heaven,  hallowed  he  Thy  name  ; 
Thy  kingdom  come ;  Thy  ivill  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in 
heaven;  give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.'  0,  father,  to  think 
that  our  dear  Saviour  Himself  taught  Mis  disciples  to  pray 
for  their  daily  bread.  These  are  His  own  words.  It  is  not 
possible,  therefore,  that  He  luill  allow  any  person  to  starve, 
v^ho,  in  His  own  appointed  language,  asks  Him  for  food. 
Will  He  not,  dear  father,  hear  our  pjrayers  for  bread?'' 

At  once  and  forever  the  scales  fell  from  the  eyes  of  that 
parent.  With  tears  streaming  down  his  cheeks,  he  clasped 
his  child  to  his  bosom,  and  earnestly  repeated  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  He  had  scarcely  finished  it  when  a  small  dog  ran  to 
where  he  and  his  daughter  were  upon  their  knees,  and  barked 
so  fiercely  as  to  attract  to  the  spot  its  oivner,  a  luealthy  Penn- 
sylvania farmer,  who  was  upon  the  mountain  in  search  of 
cattle  that  he  had  lost  for  several  days.  The  kind-hearted 
tiller  of  the  soil  immediately  piloted  the  suffering  family  to 
his  own  comfortable  home,  and  properly  provided  for  their 
wants. 

A  Child  Preserved  from  Wolves. 

A  little  girl  only  nine  years  old,  named  Sutherland,  living 
at  Platteville,  Col.,  was  recently  saved  from  death  by  fero- 
cious forest  wolves  as  follows  :  The  child  went  with  her  father 
on  a  cold  afternoon  to  the  woods  to  find  the  cattle,  and  was 
told  to  follow  the  calves  home,  while  the  father  continued  his 
search  for  the  cows.  She  did  so,  but  the  calves  misled  her, 
and  very  soon  she  became  conscious  that  she  was  lost.  Night 
came  on,  and  with  it  the  cold  of  November  and  the  dreaded 
wolves.  With  a  strange  calmness  she  continued  on  her  un- 
certain way.  The  next  day,  Sunday,  at  10  A.  M.,  she  reached, 
in  her  wanderings,  the  house  of  John  Beebe,  near  a  place 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  '  257 

called  Evans,  having  traveled  constantly  eighteen  hours,  and 
a  distance  of  not  less  than  twenty-five  miles.  All  night  the 
wolves  growled  around  her,  but  harmed  her  not;  neither  was 
she  in  the  least  frightened  by  them.  All  know  that  in  ordi- 
nary cases  fierce  packs  of  bloodthirsty  wolves  would  devour  a 
man,  and  even  a  horse.  But  this  little  one  was  invincible  in 
her  trusting,  simple  faith.  The  narrative  states  :  "  She  said 
that  the  wolves  kept  close  to  her  heels  and  snapped  at  her 
feet ;  but  her  mother  told  her  that  if  she  was  good  the  Lord 
would  always  take  care  of  her  ;  so  she  asked  the  Lord  to  take 
care  of  her,  and  she  knew  the  wolves  would  not  hurt  her, 
because  God  wouldnH  let  them  !  "  The  child  was  hunted  for 
by  a  great  number  of  people,  and  being  found  was  restored 
shortly  to  her  parents  in  perfect  health  and  soundness. 

Jesus  Cnred  Me. 

In  the  family  of  a  missionary  pastor  in  Kansas,  was  a 
daughter  of  twelve  years  of  age,  seriously  afilicted  with 
chronic  rheumatism.  For  three  years  she  suffered,  until  the 
leg  was  shrunken,  stiff  at  the  knee,  shorter  by  some  two 
inches  than  the  other,  and  the  hip  joint  was  being  gradually 
drawn  from  its  socket.  The  child  read  of  Mrs.  Miller's  cure 
by  prayer,  originally  published  in  The  Advance,  and  won- 
dered why  she  could  not  also  be  cured  by  the  same  means. 
She  repeated  to  her  mother  some  of  the  promised  answers  to 
prayer,  and  asked :  "  Don't  Jesus  mean  what  he  says,  and 
isn't  it  just  as  true  now  as  then  ?  "  The  mother  endeavored 
to  divert  her  attention  by  representing  the  afiliction  as  a 
blessing.  The  physician  also  called  and  left  another  prescrip- 
tion, and  encouraged  the  child  to  hope  for  benefit  from  it. 
The  child  could  not,  however,  be  diverted  from  the  thought 
that  Jesus  could  and  would  heal  her.  After  the  doctor's  de- 
parture she  said :  "  Mamma,  I  cannot  have  that  plaster  put 
on:' 

"Why,  dear." 
17 


258  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

"  Because,  Tnother,  Jesus  is  going  to  cure  me,  and  he  Tnust 

have  all  the  glory.     Dr. doesn't  believe  in  God ;  if  we 

put  the  plaster  on,  he  ivill  say  it  was  that  which  helped  me  ; 
and  it  must  be  all  JesusJ'  So  earnest  was  she,  that  her 
mother  at  length  placed  the  package,  just  as  she  had  received 
it,  on  a  shelf,  and  said  no  more  about  it. 

The  little  girl  and  her  mother  were  alone  that  day,  the 
father  being  absent  from  home.  When  the  household  duties 
were  done  she  called  her  mother  to  her. 

"  Mother,  will  you  pray  now  to  Jesus  to  cure  me  ?  I  have 
got  the  faith  ;  .1  know  he  will  if  you  ivill  ask  him  J'  ^The 
mother,  overcome,  yielded  to  her  daughter's  request,  and  com^ 
menced  praying.  She  was  blest  with  unusual  consciousness 
of  the  presence  of  God,  and  became  insensible  of  all  outward 
surroundings,  pleading  for  the  child.  She  remained  in  this 
state  of  intercession  for  more  than  an  hour,  when  she  was 
aroused  by  her  daughter,  who  with  her  hand  on  the  mother's 
shoulder  was  joyfully  exclaiming,  ^^  Mother,  dear  mother, 
ivake  up!  DoiiH  you  see  Jesus  has  cured  me?  0,  I  am 
well !  I  am  all  well !  '^  and  she  danced  about  the  room,  lit- 
erally healed. 

One  week  from  that  day,  the  girl  was  seen  by  the  writer 
in  the  '•'■  Advance^^  who  says  she  was  out  sliding  on  the  ice 
with  her  companions.  From  that  day  to  this  she  has  had  no 
further  trouble ;  the  limb  is  full,  round  and  perfect ;  there 
is  no  dijference  between  it  and  the  other. 

To  every  question  asked  she  replies,  with  the  overflowing 
gratitude  of  a  loving  heart,  "  Jesus  cured  me  ! " 

The  Little  Boy  who  Wanted  His  Sister 
to  Read  the  Bible. 

Kev.  Mr.  Spurgeon,  of  London,  tells  of  the  excellent  faith 
of  a  little  boy  in  one  of  the  schools  of  Edinburgh,  who  had 
attended  a  prayer-meeting,  and  at  the  lust  said  to  his  teacher 
who  conducted  it ; 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  259 

^^  Teacher,  I  wish  my  sister  could  be  got  to  read  the  Bible; 
she  never  reads  it." 

^^  Why,  Johnny,  should  your  sister  read  the  Bible  ?  " 

"Because  if  she  once  read  it  I  am  sure  it  would  do  htr 
good,  and  she  would  be  converted  and  saved." 

"Do  you  think  so,  Johnny  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  do,  sir;  and  I  wish  the  next  time  there  was  a 
prayer-meeting  you  would  ask  the  people  to  pray  for  my  sis- 
ter, that  she  may  begin  to  read  the  Bible." 

"  Well,  well,  it  shall  be  done,  John." 

So  the  teacher  gave  out  that  a  little  boy  was  anxious  that 
prayer  should  be  offered  that  his  sister  might  read  the  Bible. 
John  was  observed  to  get  up  and  go  out.  The  teacher 
thought  it  very  rude  of  the  boy  to  disturb  the  people  in  a 
crowded  room,  and  so  the  next  day,  when  the  lad  came,  he 
said : 

"John,  I  thought  it  very  rude  of  you  to  get  up  in  the 
prayer-meeting  and  go  out.  You  ought  not  to  have  done 
so." 

"0,  sir,"  said  the  boy,  "I  did  not  mean  to  be  rude ;  hut  I 
thought  I  should  like  to  go  home  and  see  Tny  sister  reading 
her  Bible  for  the  first  time."' 

True  to  his  faith,  when  he  reached  his  home,  he  found  the 
little  girl  reading  her  Bible. 

Nettie's  Daily  Bread. 

A  little  girl  in  a  wretched  attic,  whose  sick  mother  had  no 
bread,  knelt  down  by  the  bedside,  and  said  slowly :  "  Give  us 
this  day  our  daily  bread."  Then  she  went  into  the  street  and 
began  to  wonder  where  God  kept  his  bread.  She  turned 
around  the  corner  and  saw  a  large,  well-filled  baker's  shop. 

"This,"  thought  Nettie,  "is  the  place."  So  she  entered 
confidently,  and  said  to  the  big  baker,  "  I've  come  for  it." 

"  Come  for  what  ?  " 

"My  daily  bread,"   she  said,   pointing   to   the   tempting 


260  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

loaves.  "I'll  take  two,  if  you  please — one  for  mother  and 
one  for  me." 

^'  All  right/'  said  the  baker,  putting  them  into  a  bag,  and 
giving  them  to  his' little  customer,  who  started  at  once  into 
the  street. 

"Stop,  you  little  rogue!"  he  said,  roughly;  "where  is 
your  money  ?  " 

"  I  haven't  any,"  she  said  simply. 

"Haven't  any !"  he  repeated,  angrily;  "you  little  thief, 
what  brought  you  here,  then  ?  " 

The  hard  words  frightened  the  little  girl,  who,  bursting 
into  tears,  said :  "  Mother  is  sick,  and  I  am  so  hungry.  In 
my  prayers  I  said,  'Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,'  and 
then  I  thought  God  meant  me  to  fetch  it,  and  so  I  ca?ne.^' 

The  rough,  but  kind-hearted  baker  was  softened  by  the 
child's  simple  tale,  and  instead  of  chiding  her  or  visiting 
threats  of  punishment,  as  is  usually  the  case,  he  said :  "  Yoic 
poor,  dear  girl ;  here,  take  this  to  your  mother,^^  and  he 
filled  a  large  basketful  and  gave  it  to  her. 

The  Brother's  Prayer. 

A  physician,  who  for  many  years  practiced  his  profession 
in  the  State  of  California,  was  called  once  to  see  the  child  of 
Mr.  Doak,  of  Calveras  County,  living  on  the  road  between 
San  Andreas  and  Stockton,  and  not  far  from  the  mining  town 
of  Campo  Seco,  or  Dry  Camp.  He  says :  The  patient  was  a 
little  girl  about  ten  years  of  age,  bright  and  intelligent  and 
one  of  twins,  the  other  being  a  boy,  equally  bright  and  well- 
disposed.  The  primary  symptoms  had  indicated  inflammation 
of  the  stomach,  which  the  attending  physician  had  hopelessly 
combated,  and  finally,  when  by  metastasis  it  attacked  the 
brain,  with  other  unfavorable  symptoms,  he  was  inclined  to 
abandon  the  case  in  despair. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  I  was  called  in.  The  symptoms 
were  exceedingly  unfavorable,  and  my  own  opinion  coincided 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  261 

with  my  professional  brother's.  However,  we  determined  to 
go  to  work.  A  day  and  night  of  incessant  watching,  and  the 
state  of  the  patient  caused  us  both  to  feel  the  case  hopeless, 
and  we  only  continued  our  attendance  at  the  earnest  solicita- 
tion of  the  child's  mother.  The  anxious,  care-worn  and  rest- 
less sorrow  of  the  little  brother,  his  deep  grief  as  he  saw  his 
sister  given  over  to  the  power  of  the  King  of  Terrors,  had 
attracted  our  attention.  He  would  creep  up  to  the  bedside 
of  his  sister  silently,  with  pale  and  tearful  face,  controlling 
his  emotion  with  great  effort,  and  then  steal  away  again  and 
weep  bitterly.  With  a  vague,  indefinite  idea  of  comforting 
the  little  fellow,  I  took  him  to  my  knee,  and  was  about  to 
utter  some  platitude,  when  the  little  fellow,  looking  me  in 
the  face,  his  own  the  very  picture  of  grief,  burst  out  with — 

"  Oh,  Doctor,  must  sister  die  ?" 

"Yes,"  I  replied,  "but,"— 

Before  I  could  go  farther  he  again  interrupted  me  : 

"  Oh,  Doctor,  is  there  nothing,  nothing  that  will  save  her  ? 
Can  nobody,  nobody  save  my  sister  ?" 

For  an  instant  the  teachings  of  a  tender  and  pious  mother 
flashed  over  my  mind.  They  had  been  long  neglected,  were 
almost  forgotten.  California,  in  those  days,  was  not  well  cal- 
culated to  fasten  more  deeply  on  the  mind  home  teachings. 
There  were  very  few  whose  religious  training  survived  the 
ordeal,  and  for  a  long  time  I  had  hardly  thought  of  prayer. 
But  the  question  brought  out  with  the  vividness  of  a  flash  of 
lightning,  and  as  suddenly,  all  that  had  been  obscured  by  my 
course  of  life,  and,  hardly  knowing  what  I  did,  I  spoke  to 
him  of  the  power  that  might  reside  in  prayer.  I  said,  God 
had  promised  to  answer  prayer.  I  dared  not  allow  the  skep- 
tical doubt,  that  came  to  my  own  mind,  meet  the  ear  of  that 
innocent  boy,  and  told  him,  more  as  my  mother  had  often 
told  me  than  with  any  thought  of  impressing  a  serious  sub- 
ject on  his  mind,  "  That  the  prayers  of  little  boys,  even,  God 
would  hear:'  I  left  that  night  with  some  simple  directions, 
that  were  given  more  to  satisfy  the  mother  than  from  having 


262  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

the  slightest  hope  of  eventual  recovery,  promising  to  return 
next  day. 

In  the  morning,  as  I  rode  to  the  door,  the  little  boy  was 
playing  round  with  a  bright  and  cheerful  countenance,  and 
looked  so  happy  that  involuntarily  I  asked  : 

"  Is  your  sister  better  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  Doctor,"  he  replied,  "  but  she  is  going  to  get 
well." 

"  How  do  you  know,"  I  asked. 

"  Because  I  prayed  to  God,^  said  he,  "  and  he  told  me  she 
wouldP 

"  How  did  he  tell  you  ?" 

The  little  fellow  looked  at  me  for  an  instant,  and  reverently 
placing  his  hand  on  the  region  of  his  heart,  said : 

"  He  told  me  in  my  heart J^ 

Going  to  the  room  where  my  patient  was  lying,  I  found  no 
change  whatever,  but  in  spite  of  my  own  convictions  there 
had  sprung  up  a  hope  within  me.  The  medical  gentleman 
with  whom  I  was  in  consultation  came  to  the  room,  and  as  he 
did,  a  thought  of  a  very  simple  remedy  I  had  seen  used  by  an 
old  negro  woman,  in  a  very  dissimilar  case,  occurred  to  my 
mind.  It  became  so  persistently  present  that  I  mentioned  it 
to  my  brother  practitioner.  He  looked  surprised,  but  merely 
remarked,  "  It  can  do  no  harm."  I  applied  it.  In  two  hours 
we  both  felt  the  case  was  out  of  danger. 

The  second  day  after  that,  as  we  rode  from  the  house, 
my  friend  asked  me  how  I  came  to  think  of  so  simple  a 
remedy. 

"  /  think  it  tvas  that  hoy^s  prayer ^^  I  replied. 

"  Why,  Doctor !  you  are  not  so  superstitious  as  to  connect 
that  boy's  prayers  with  his  sister's  recovery,"  said  he. 

"Yes,  I  do,"  I  replied;  for  the  life  of  me  I  cannot  help 
thinking  his  prayers  were  more  powerful  than  our  reme- 
dies." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  263 

Light  G-iven  to  a  Blind  Child. 

"A  missionary  visiting  one  of  the  mission  schools  of  Brook- 
lyn, was  introduced  to  a  remarkable  child.  He  was  brought 
into  the  school  from  the  highways  and  hedges,  and  young  as 
he  was,  he  had  been  taught  of  God.  One  day  he  was  playing 
with  powder,  and  putting  his  mouth  to  the  match  to  blow  it, 
it  exploded,  and  the  whole  charge  went  into  his  face  and  eyes. 
He  became  totally  blind,  and  the  physician  gave  but  little  hope 
of  recovery.  But  the  little  sufferer  was  patient  and  calm, 
and  even  hopeful ;  sitting  through  the  dark  days  meditating 
on  what  he  had  learned  at  the  mission  Sabbath-school,  and  re- 
peating passages  of  Scripture  and  many  a  beautiful  hymn. 

''  One  evening  after  the  physician  had  spoken  discourag- 
ingly,  and  his  parents,  as  he  perceived,  were  in  deep  distress, 
he  was  absorbed  on  his  knees  in  a  corner  of  the  room  in  ear- 
nest prayer.  His  voice,  though  subdued  almost  to  a  whisper, 
was  indicative  of  intense  feeling.  His  parents  inquired  what 
he  had  been  praying  so  earnestly  for.  Why,  said  he,  that 
Jesus  Christ  ivould  open  my  eyes.  The  doctor  says  he  caii't, 
and  so  I  thought  I  ivould  ask  the  Savior  to  do  it  for  me. 
God  honored  his  faith.  In  a  few  days  his  sight  came  to 
him;  and  the  prayer  was  ansivered.    He  can  noiv  see  clearly. ^^ 

Asking  The  Lord  to  Help  Him  in  his 
Lessons. 

"A  little  boy  was  at  school,  he  was  diligent,  and  deter- 
mined to  succeed,  but  found  that  parsing  was  rather  hard. 

"  One  day  he  went  to  his  mamma  for  a  little  help  in  ana- 
lyzing some  sentences.  She  told  him  the  proper  manner  of 
doing  it,  and  he  followed  her  directions;  but  he  was  much 
troubled  that  he  could  not  understand  the  whys  and  where- 
fores himself. 

"  His  mamma  told  him  it  was  rather  hard  for  him  then,  but 
that  after  he  had  studied  a  little  longer^  it  would  be  quite  easy, 


264  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

"  Johnnie  went  into  another  room  to  study  alone,  but  after 
a  little  came  back,  his  face  perfectly  radiant  with  joy.  He 
said  :  ^  0  mamma,  I  want  to  begin  again.  I  asked  Jesus  to 
help  me,  and  now  I  think  I  see  just  how  it  is.  He  always 
helps  us  when  we  ask  him  ;  ^  and  with  unspeakable  delight  he 
with  his  mamma  went  over  his  lesson  again.'' 

Give  us  this  day  our  Daily  Bread. 

''The  American  Messenger  tells  the  story  of  Johnny  Hall, 
a  poor  boy.  His  mother  worked  hard  for  their  daily  bread. 
'  Please  give  me  something  to  eat ;  I  am  very  hungry,'  he 
said  one  evening.  His  mother  let  the  work  upon  which  she 
was  sewing  fall  from  her  knee,  and  drew  Johnny  toward 
her.  Her  tears  fell  fast  as  she  said  :  '  Mamma  is  very  poor, 
and  cannot  give  you  any  supper  to-night.'  'Never  mind, 
mamma;  I  shall  soon  be  asleep,  and  then  I  sha'n't  feel 
hungry.  But  you  will  sit  and  sew,  and  be  so  hungry  and 
cold.  Poor  mamma,'  he  said,  and  kissed  her  many  times  to 
comfort  her. 

"  '  Now,  Johnny,  you  may  say  your  prayers  ; '  for  dearly  as 
his  mother  loved  him,  she  could  ill  afford  to  lose  a  moment 
from  her  work.  He  repeated  '  Our  Father '  with  her  until 
they  came  to  the  petition,  '  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.' 
The  earnestness,  almost  agony,  with  which  the  mother  uttered 
these  words,  impressed  Johnny  strongly.  He  said  them  over 
again :  '  Give  us  this  day  our  dailij  bread.''  Then  opening 
his  blue  eyes,  he  fixed  them  on  his  mother,  and  said :  *  We 
shall  never  be  hungry  any  more.  God  is  our  Father,  and  he 
ivill  hear  us.'  The  prayer  was  finished  and  Johnny  laid  to 
rest.  The  mother  sewed  with  renewed  energy.  Her  heart 
was  sustained  by  the  simple  faith  of  her  child.  Many  were 
the  gracious  promises  which  came  to  her  remembrance.  Al- 
though tired  and  hungry,  still  it  was  with  a  light  heart  she 
sank  to  rest. 

"  Early  in  the  morning  a  gentleman  called  on  his  way  to 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  265 

business.  He  wished  Johnny's  mother  to  come  to  his  home 
to  take  charge  of  his  two  motherless  boys.  She  immediately 
accepted  the  offer.  They  were  thus  provided  with  all  the 
comforts  of  a  good  home.  Johnny  is  a  man  now,  but  he  has 
never  forgotten  the  time  when  he  prayed  so  earnestly  for  his 
daily  bread. 

'^  God  tvill  hear  prayer  is  his  firm  belief.  In  many  ways 
has  he  had  the  faith  of  his  childhood  confirmed.  He  looks  to 
God  as  his  Father  with  the  same  trust  now  as  then. 

God  will  Take  Care  of  Me. 

"  When  the  yellow  fever  raged  in  New  Orleans,  the  pesti- 
lence visited  a  Christian  household,  and  the  father  died.  Then 
the  mother  was  suddenly  seized,  and  knowing  that  she  must 
die,  she  gathered  the  four  children  around  her  bed,  the  oldest 
being  only  about  ten  years  of  age,  and  said  to  them  that  God 
was  about  to  take  her  home  to  heaven.  She  urged  them  to 
have  no  fears,  and  assured  them  that  the  kind,  heavenly 
Father  who  had  so  long  provided  for  them  would  surely  come 
and  take  care  of  them.  The  children,  with  almost  breaking 
hearts,  believed  what  the  dying  mother  had  told  them. 

"  She  was  buried.  The  three  youngest  soon  followed  her, 
although  they  received  every  necessary  attention  from  friends 
during  their  sickness.  The  oldest,  a  boy,  was  also  seized  by 
the  pestilence,  and  in  an  unguarded  moment,  under  the  influ- 
ence of  delirium,  wandered  from  his  sick-bed  out  into  the 
suburbs  of  the  city,  and  lying  down  in  the  tall  grass  by  the 
roadside,  looked  steadfastly  up,  murmuring,  incoherently  at 
times,  *  Mother  said  God  would  come  and  take  care  of  me — 
would  come  and  take  care  of  me  ! '  A  gentleman  happening 
to  pass  at  the  time,  and  hearing  the  unusual  sounds,  went 
where  the  lad  was  lying,  and  rousing  him,  asked  him  what  he 
was  doing  there.  Said  the  little  fellow  in  reply :  '  Father 
died;  mother  died  ;  little  brother  and  sisters  died.  But  just 
before  mother  went  away  into  heaven,  she  told  us  to  have  no 


266  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

feoit',  for  God  would  come  and  take  care  of  us,  and  I  am  now 
waiting  for  him  to  come  down  and  take  me.  I  knotv  he  will 
come,  for  mother  said  so,  and  she  always  told  us  the  truth.' 

"'Well/  said  the  gentleman,  whose  kindliest  sympathies 
were  stirred  by  the  little  fellow's  sad  condition  and  his  im- 
plicit confidence  in  his  sainted  mother's  pious  instructions, 
'God  has  sent  me,  my  son,  to  take  care  of  you.''  So  he  had 
him  carried  to  his  home,  and  kindly  nursed  and  cared  for  by 
his  own  family.  He  recovered,  and  to-day  is  one  of  the  most 
useful  Christian  young  men  in  the  far  West,  where  he  has 
fixed  his  home." 

Lanra  Healed. 

"A  Christian  teacher,  connected  with  a  Southern  Orphan 
Asylum,  writes  The  Christian,  that  often  when  the  children 
were  sick,  and  most  of  them  came  to  me  more  or  less  diseased, 
I  cried  to  the  Lord  for  helj),  and  He  who  '  bore  our  infirmi- 
ties, and  carried  our  sicknesses,'  healed  them.  Oh  it  is  so 
good  to  trust  in  the  Lord  !  How  much  better  to  rely  on  Him 
^in  whom  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being,'  than  to 
put  confidence  in  man,  even  in  the  most  skillful  physician. 
To  confirm  and  strengthen  the  faith  of  the  doubting,  I  send 
you  the  following  account  of  the  healing  of  one  of  our  or- 
phans. 

"  Laura  was  one  of  a  large  orphan  family,  living  on  Port 
E/oyal  Island,  S.  C.  When  her  mother  died,  she  went  to  live 
with  a  colored  woman  who  made  her  work  very  hard,  ^tote' 
wood  and  water,  hoe  cotton  and  corn,  do  all  manner  of 
drudgery,  rise  at  daybreak,  and  live  on  scanty  food.  Laura 
suffered  from  want,  exposure  and  abuse.  The  freed-women 
of  the  plantation  looked  with  pity  into  her  eyes,  and  desired 
her  to  run  away.  But  she  replied,  'Aunt  Dora  will  run  after 
me,' and  when  she  done  cotch  me,  she'll  stripe  me  well  with 
the  lash ;  she  done  tell  so  already.' 

"One  morning,  however,  when  Laura  went  to  the  creek  for 
crabs,  a  good  aunty  followed  her,  and  throwing  a  shawl  over 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  267 

the  poor  child's  rags,  said,  'Now,  Laura,  put  foot  for  Beau- 
fort fast  as  ever  you  can,  and  when  you  get  there,  inquire 
where  Mrs.  Mather  lives  :  go  straight  to  her  ;  she  has  a  good 
home  for  jes  sich  poor  creeters  as  you  be.'  Laura  obeyed, 
hastened  to  Beaufort,  seven  miles  distant,  found  my  home, 
was  made  welcome,  and  her  miserable  rags  exchanged  for 
good  clean  clothes.  In  the  morning,  I  said,  '  Laura,  did  you 
sleep  well  last  night?'  She  replied,  '0,  missis,  my  heart 
too  full  of  joy  to  sleep.  Me  lay  awake  all  night,  thinking 
how  happy  me  is  in  dis  nice,  clean  bed,  all  to  myself.  Me 
never  sleep  in  a  bed  before,  missis.' 

"  Laura,  then  about  thirteen  years  old,  came  to  me  with  a 
hard  cough,  and  pain  in  her  side.  I  put  on  flannels,  gave 
her  a  generous  diet,  and  hoped,  that  with  rest  and  cheerful 
surroundings,  she  would  soon  rally  as  other  children  had, 
who  came  to  me  in  a  similar  broken-down  condition.  Still 
the  cough  and  pain  continued.  I  dosed  her  with  various  re- 
storatives, such  as  flax-seed,  and  slippery  elm,  etc.,  but  all 
were  of  no  avail.  She  steadily  grew  worse.  Every  week  I 
could  see  she  declined.  Her  appetite  failed  ;  night  sweats 
came  on  ;  and  she  was  so  weak  that  most  of  the  day  she  lay 
in  bed.  The  children,  all  of  whom  loved  Laura,  she  was  so 
patient  and  gentle,  whispered  one  to  another,  'Laura  is  gwine 
to  die ;  dere  is  def  in  her  eye." 

"One  evening  in  midwinter,  the  poor  child's  short  breath, 
fluttering  pulse,  and  cold,  clammy  sweat  alarmed  me,  and  I 
felt  sure  that  unless  the  dear  Lord  interposed  in  her  behalf, 
h^r  time  with  us  was  very  short.  I  lingered  by  her  bed  till 
near  midnight  in  prayer  for  her  recovery.  I  could  not  give 
her  up.  Again  in  my  own  room  I  poured  out  my  soul  in 
prayer  for  the  child,  and  then  slept.  About  two  o'clock,  I 
suddenly  awoke,  and  heard  what  seemed  a  voice  saying  to 
me,  •'  Go  to  Laura ;  I  can  heal  her  noio  ;  the  conditions  are 
right ;  you  are  both  calm  and  trustful.'' 

"  I  arose  quickly,  hastened  to  her  room  and  said  to  her, 
'  Laura,  do  you   want  to   get  well  ?  '     '0,  yes,  missis,   me 


268  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

wants  to  get  well.'  ^  Do  jou  believe  Jesus  can  cure  you  ?  ' 
She  replied,  "  I  know  he  can  if  he  will.'  '  Well,  Laura/  I 
said,  ^  Jesus  has  just  waked  me  out  of  a  sound  sleep,  and  told 
me  to  go  and  tell  you  that  he  will  cure  you  now.  Do  you 
believe  he  will,  Laura  ?  '  *  Yes,  missis,  me  do  believe,''  she 
replied  earnestly.  She  then  repeated  this  prayer.  '  0,  Jesus, 
do  please  to  make  me  well ;  let  me  live  a  long  time,  and  be  a 
good  and  useful  woman.' 

"  The  burden  had  rolled  off  my  heart ;  I  returned  to  my 
room  and  slept  sweetly.  In  the  morning,  Tamar,  Laura's 
attendant,  met  me  at  the  door,  exclaiming  joyfully,  '  0,  I'se 
so  glad  !  Laura  is  a  heap  better.  Missis.  She  wake  me  up 
long  time  before  day  and  begged  me  to  get  her  something  to 
eat,  she  so  hungry.' 

''From  that  night  Laura  rapidly  recovered.  Her  cough 
abated,  her  appetite  was  restored,  her  night  sweats  ceased, 
and  in  less  than  a  month  she  was  strong  and  well." 


A  Little  Slave's  Faith. 

A  missionary  in  India,  passing  one  day  through  the  school 
room,  observed  a  little  boy  engaged  in  prayer,  and  overheard 
him  say,  "  0,  Lord  Jesus,  I  thank  thee  for  sending  big  ship 
into  my  country  and  wicked  men  to  steal  me  and  bring  me 
here,  that  I  might  hear  about  Thee  and  love  Thee.  And 
now,  Lord  Jesus,  I  have  one  great  favor  to  ask  Thee.  Please 
to  send  wicked  men  with  another  big  ship,  and  let  them 
catch  my  father  and  my  mother,  and  bring  them  to  this  coun- 
try, that  they  may  hear  the  missionaries  preach  and  love 
Thee." 

The  missionary  in  a  few  days  after  saw  him  standing  on 
the  sea-shore,  looking  very  intently  as  the  ships  came-  in. 
"  What  are  you  looking  at,  Tom  ?  "  "I  am  looking  to  see  if 
Jesus  Christ  answers  prayer." 

For  two  years  he  was  to  be  seen  day  after  day  watching 
the  arrival  of  every  ship.     One  day,  as  the  missionary  was 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  269 

viewing  him,  he  observed  him  capering  about  and  exhibiting 
the  liveliest  joy. 

"  Well,  Tom,  what  gives  you  so  much  joy  ?  "  "  0,  Jesus 
Christ  answer  prayer.  Father  and  mother  come  in  that 
shipj'^  which  was  actually  the  case. 

A  Good  Reason  for  Praying. 

A  little  girl  about  four  years  of  age  being  asked,  "  Why  do 
you  pray  to  God  ?  "  replied  :  "  Because  I  know  He  hears  me, 
and  I  love  to  pray  to  Him." 

"  But  how  do  you  know  He  hears  you  ?  " 

Putting  her  little  hand  to  her  heart,  she  said,  "  I  know  He 
does,  because  there  is  something  here  that  tells  me  so.'' 


My  Heart  Talked. 

A  child  six  years  old,  in  a  Sunday  school,  said :  "  When  we 
kneel  down  in  the  school-room  to  pray,  it  seems  as  if  my  heart 
talked." 

Why,  Sir,  I  Begged. 

A  little  boy,  one  of  the  Sunday  school  children  in  Jamaica, 
called  upon  the  missionary  and  stated  that  he  had  lately  been 
very  ill,  and  in  his  sickness  often  wished  his  minister  had 
been  present  to  pray  with  him. 

"  But,  Thomas,"  said  the  missionary,  "  I  hope  you  prayed." 
"Oh,  yes,  sir."  "Did  you  repeat  the  collect  I  taught  you?" 
"I  prayed."  "Well,  but  how  did  you  pray  ?"  "Why,  sir, 
I  begged." 

A  Little  Child's  Prayer  for  Healing. 

A  very  little  child,  who  had  but  recently  learned  to  talk, 
and  the  daughter  of  a  Home  missionary,  had  been  for  weeks 
troubled  with  a  severe  cough,  which  was  very  severe  in  its 


270  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

weakness  upon  her.  At  last  her  father  said  to  her,  "  Daugh- 
ter, ask  Jesus,  the  good  Lord,  to  heal  you." 

Putting  up  her  little  hands  as  she  lay  in  bed,  she  said, 
^^ Dear  Jesus,  will  oo  'please  to  cure  me,  and  do  please  tell  papa 
luhat  to  give  me." 

The  father,  who  was  listening,  thought  several  times  of 
*^  syrup  of  ipecac^''  hut  did  not  connect  it  immediately  with 
the  prayer.  At  last  the  thought  came  so  often  before  him, 
that  he  felt,  "  Well,  it  will  do  no  harm,  perhaps  this  is  what 
the  Lord  wants  me  to  give  her."  He  procured  it,  admin- 
istered it,  and  in  three  hours  the  little  child's  cough  had 
wholly  ceased,  and  she  was  playing  on  the  floor  M^th  the 
other  children.  A  most  singular  feature  is  the  fact  that  the 
same  medicine  was  administered  at  other  times  and  had  no 
effect  in  relief. 


^t  "^Imthm  of  §km. 


**  'Blessed  is  he  that  considereth  the  poor;  the  Lord  will 
deliver  him  in  time  of  trouble.'' 

*^  Monor  t?ie  Lord  with  thy  substa7ice,  and  with  the  first 
fruits  of  all  thine  increase,  so  shall  thy  bar?is  be  filled 
with  plenty." 

*'  The?^e  is  that  sea  tie  re  th  and  yet  increaseth ;  and 
t?iere  is  that  withholdeth  more  than  is  meet,  but  it  tend- 
eth  to  poverty." 

*^  2he  liberal  soul  shall  be  made  fat,  and  he  that 
watereth  shall  be  watered  also  himself." 

''He  that  hath  pity  upo7i  the  poor  lendeth  unto  the 
Lord;  and  that  7i^hich  he  hath  given  will  He  pay  him 
again." 

*'  Whoso  stoppeth  his  ears  at  the  cry  of  the  poor,  he  also 
shall  cry  himself,  but  shall  ?iot  be  heard." 

''Me  that  hath  a  bountiful  eye  shall  be  blessed,  for  he 
giveth  of  his  bread  to  the  poor." 

"He  that  putteth  his  trust  in  the  Lord  shall  be  made 
fat." 

"He  that  giveth  unto  the  poor  shall  not  lack;  but  he 
that  hideth  his  eye  shall  have  many  a  curse." 

"  Cast  thy  bread  upo7i  the  waters,  for  thou  shall  find  it 
aftermatiy  days." 

"  Jf  thou  draw  out  thy  soul  to  the  hu7igry,  and  satisfy 
the  afflicted  soul,  the  Lord  shall  guide  thee  continually, 
a?id  satisfy  thy  soul  in  drought,  and  make  fat  thy  bones. 
And  thou  Shalt  be  like  a  watered  garden,  and  like  a 
spring  of  water,  whose  waters  fail  not." 

"  He  which  soweth  bountifully,  shall  reap  also  bounti- 
fully." 

"  Hvery  man  according  as  he purposeth  in  his  heart, 
so  let  him  give  ;  not  grudgingly,  nor  of  7iecessity,  for 


272  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

How  the  Lord  Blesses  Those  Who  Give 
Liberally  to  His  Cause. 

A  disciple  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  poor  in  this  world's  goods, 
but  rich  in  faith,  became  greatly  perplexed  in  regard  to  the 
meaning  of  the  forty-second  verse  of  the  fifth  chapter  of  Mat- 
thew. The  words  are :  "  Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee  ;  and 
from  him  that  would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou  away." 
After  a  season  of  prolonged  mental  inquiry,  as  to  whether 
the  language  was  to  be  regarded  as  literal  or  not,  she  sud- 
denly paused  and  exclaimed  :  "  It  is  easy  enough  to  find  out ; 
test  it  and  see." 

It  was  Saturday.  Her  money,  all  but  two  dollars,  had  been 
expended  in  providing  for  the  Sabbath.  The  amount  left, 
which  was  absolutely  needed  for  the  following  Monday,  she 
put  in  her  pocket,  and  went  out. 

On  the  street,  a  friend,  whose  husband  had  been  for  some 
time  out  of  business,  met  her  and  stated  their  distresses,  and 
asked  if  she  could  lend  them  tivo  dollars  to  last  over  the  Sab- 
bath. 

She  was  surprised.  The  test  had  come  sooner  than  she 
expected,  but,  without  hesitation,  the  money  was  "  lent  to  the 
Lord,''^  and  the  now  penniless  believer  went  home  to  wait  and 
see. 

Now  mark  the  result.  Monday  came,  and  with  it  the  needs 
to  be  supplied.  While  pondering  what  course  to  pursue,  a 
knock  was  heard,  and,  on  opening  the  door,  a  lady,  with  a 
bundle  in  her  hand,  inquired  if  she  could  do  a  little  work  for 
her.  Eeplying  in  the  affirmative,  and  naming  the  price,  the 
lady  took  from  her  pocket-book  two  dollars,  and  handed  it  to 
her,  saying  :  "  It  is  more  than  you  ask,  but  you  might  as  well 
have  it."  *'I  was  never  more  astonished,"  said  this  true  dis- 
ciple, "  and  literally  shouted  for  joy.  I  had  tested  and  proved 
that  the  promises  of  God  are  yea  and  amen  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Glory  to  God.  I  have  never  doubted  since;  and  though 
often  in  straits,  I  have  always  been  delivered." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  273 

Would  it  not  be  well  for  Christians  to  "test"  where  they 
cannot  understand  ?  "  Ye  are  my  friends/'  said  the  blessed 
Lord,  "if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you."  Obedience 
will  solve  difficulties  that  reasoning  cannot  unravel.  Try 
and  see. 

Dividing:  with  God. 

A  merchant,  in  answer  to  inquiries,  refers  back  to  a  period 
when,  he  says,  "In  consecrating  my  life  anew  to  God,  aware 
of  the  ensnaring  influences  of  riches,  and  the  necessity  of  de- 
ciding on  a  plan  of  charity  before  wealth  should  bias  my 
judgment,  I  adopted  the  following  system : 

"  I  decided  to  balance  my  accounts  as  nearly  as  I  could, 
every  month  ;  and  reserving  such  a  portion  of  profits  as  might 
appear  adequate  to  cover  probable  losses,  to  lay  aside,  by 
entry  on  a  benevolent  account,  one-tenth  of  the  remaining 
profits,  great  or  small,  as  a  fund  for  benevolent  expenditure, 
supporting  myself  and  family  on  the  remaining  nine-tenths. 
I  further  determined,  that  when  at  any  time  my  net  profits, 
that  is,  profits  from  which  clerk-hire  and  store  expenses 
had  been  deducted,  should  exceed  ^500  in  a  month,  I  would 
give  twelve  and  a  half  per  cent.;  if  over  $700,  fifteen 
per  cent. ;  if  over  f  900,  seventeen  and  a  half  per  cent. ;  if 
over  $1,100,  twenty  per  cent.  ;  if  over  $1,300,  twenty-two 
and  a  half  per  cent.  ;  thus  increasing  the  proportion  of  the 
whole  as  God  should  prosper,  until  at  $1,500,  I  should  give 
twenty-five  per  cent.,  or  $375  a  month.  As  capital  was  of 
the  utmost  importance  to  my  success  in  business,  I  decided 
not  to  increase  the  foregoing  scale  until  I  had  acquired  a  cer- 
tain capital,  after  which  I  would  give  one-quarter  of  all  net 
profits,  great  or  small ;  and  on  the  acquisition  of  another  cer- 
tain amount  of  capital,  I  decided  to  give  half ;  and  on  acquir- 
ing what  I  determined  would  be  a  full  sufficiency  of  capital, 
then  to  give  the  whole  of  my  net  profits. 

"  It  is  now  several  years  since  I  adopted  this  plan,  and  under 
it  I  have  acquired  a  handsome  capital,  and  have  been  pros- 
18 


274  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

pered  beyond  my  most  sanguine  expectations.  Although 
constantly  giving,  I  have  never  yet  touched  the  bottom  of 
my  fund,  and  have  been  repeatedly  astonished  to  find  what 
large  drafts  it  would  bear.  True,  during  some  months  I  have 
encountered  a  salutary  trial  of  faith,  when  this  rule  has  led 
me  to  lay  by  the  tenth,  while  the  remainder  proved  inadequate 
to  my  support ;  but  the  tide  has  soon  turned,  and  w4th  grati- 
tude I  have  recognized  a  heavenly  hand  more  than  making 
good  all  past  deficiencies." 

Prosperity  and  Liberality. 

A  London  correspondent  of  the  Westeim  Christian  Advo- 
cate, writing  some  years  ago  of  raising  a  fund  for  the  extinc- 
tion of  debts  on  chapels,  gives  the  following  incident : 

"  A  gentleman  named  Wilkes,  who  was  promised  a  sub- 
scription of  one  thousand  guineas  to  this  fund,  has  a  history 
so  remarkable  as  to  be  worth  relating  across  the  Atlantic. 
Seven  years  ago  he  was  a  journeyman  mecbanic.  Having  in- 
vented and  patented  some  kind  of  a  crank  or  spindle  used  in 
the  cotton  manufacture,  and  needing  capital  to  start  himself 
in  the  business  of  making  them,  he  made  it  a  matter  of 
earnest  prayer  that  he  might  be  directed  to  some  one  able 
and  willing  to  assist  him.  In  a  singular  and  unexpected 
manner  he  fell  in  with  an  elderly  Quaker,  a  perfect  stranger, 
who  accosted  him  with  the  strange  inquiry  :  ^  Friend,  I  should 
like  to  know  if  a  little  money  would  be  of  any  service  to  thee.' 
Having  satisfied  himself  as  to  Wilkes'  genius  and  honesty, 
the  Quaker  at  once  advanced  him  the  required  amount.  The 
praying  mechanic  started  in  business  on  his  own  account,  and 
everything  he  has  touched  of  late  appeared  to  prosper. 

"  Hearing  of  a  field  in  Ireland  offered  for  sale,  in  which 
was  a  deserted  mine,  he  went  over  to  see  it ;  bought  the  field 
for  a  small  sum,  recommenced  working  the  mine,  and  it  now 
turns  out  to  yield  abundance  of  excellent  copper.  For  the 
year  1852,  he   promised  to   give  the    Missionary    Society  a 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  275 

guinea  a  day ;  but  such  abundance  has  poured  in  upon  him 
during  the  year,  that  he  felt  that  to  be  below  his  duty,  and 
has,  therefore,  enlarged  his  subscription  for  the  present  year 
seven-fold.  He  is  actually  giving  to  that  noble  cause  seven 
guineas  daily,  or  upwards  of  $10,500  a  year,  during  this  year, 
1853 ;  in  addition  to  which  he  has  just  given  one  thousand 
guineas  to  the  fund  above  referred  to."  "  It  is  pleasing  to 
add,"  says  the  writer,  "that  this  remarkable  man  retains 
the  utmost  simplicity." 

Would  that  liberality  and  prosperity  might  ever  go  hand 
in  hand.  Often,  as  wealth  increases  liberality  is  starved  out, 
and  the  rich  give  far  less  than  the  poor  in  proportion  to  their 
means  and  ability. 

The  Deacon's  Singing;  School. 

"  I  am  going  out  to  see  if  I  can  start  a  singing  school," 
said  a  good  man,  as  he  stood  buttoning  up  his  overcoat,  and 
muffling  up  his  ears,  one  bitterly  cold  Winter  night. 

"A  singing  school,"  said  his  wife,  "how  will  you  do  that  ?  " 

"  I  have  heard  of  a  widow  around  the  corner  a  block  or  two 
who  is  in  suffering  circumstances.  She  has  five  little  chil- 
dren, and  two  of  them  down  sick,  and  has  neither  fire  nor 
food.  So  Bennie  Hope,  the  office  boy  tells  me.  I  thought  I 
would  just  step  around  and  look  into  the  case." 

"  Go,  by  all  means,"  said  his  wife,  "  and  lose  no  time.  \i 
they  are  in  such  need  we  can  give  some  relief.  But  I  cannot 
see  what  all  this  has  to  do  with  starting  a  singing  school. 
But  never  mind,  you  need  not  stop  to  tell  me  now;  go 
quickly  and  do  all  you  can  for  the  poor  woman." 

So  out  into  the  piercing  cold  of  the  wintry  night  went  the 
husband,  while  the  wife  turned  to  the  fireside  and  her  sleep- 
ing babes,  who,  in  their  warm  cribs,  with  the  glow  of  health 
upon  their  cheeks,  showed  that  they  knew  nothing  of  cold  or 
pinching  want.  With  a  thankful  spirit  she  thought  of  her 
blessings,  as  she  sat  down  to  her  little  pile  of  mending.     Very 


276  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER, 

busily  and  quietly  she  worked,  puzzling  all  the  time  over 
what  her  husband  could  have  meant  by  starting  a  singing 
school.  A  singing  school  and  the  widow — how  queer  !  What 
possible  connection  could  they  have  ? 

At  last  she  grew  tired  of  the  puzzling  thought,  and  said  to 
herself,  "  I  won't  bother  myself  thinking  about  it  any  more. 
He  will  tell  me  all  about  it  when  he  comes  home.  I  only 
hope  we  may  be  able  to  help  the  poor  widow  and  make  hei' 
'poor  heart  sing  for  joy.'  There,"  she  exclaimed,  "can  that 
be  what  he  meant  ?  The  widow's  heart  singing  for  joy  ! 
Wouldn't  that  be  a  singing  school  ?  It  must  be ;  it  is  just 
like  John.  How  funny  that  I  should  find  it  out  ! "  and  she 
laughed  merrily  at  her  lucky  guess.  Taking  up  her  work 
again,  she  stitched  away  with  a  happy  smile  on  her  face,  as 
she  thought  over  again  her  husband's  words,  and  followed 
him  in  imagination  in  his  kind  ministrations.  By-and-by 
two  shining  tears  dropped  down,  tears  of  pure  joj^,  drawn 
from  the  deep  wells  of  her  love  for  her  husband,  of  whom  she 
thought  she  never  felt  so  fond  before.  At  the  first  sound  of 
footsteps  she  sprang  to  open  the  door. 

"  Oh,  John  !  did  you  start  the  singing  school  ?  " 

"  I  reckon  I  did,"  said  the  husband,  as  soon  as  he  could 
loose  his  wrappings;  "but  I  want  you  to  hunt  up  some  flan- 
nels  and  things  to  help  to  keep  it  up." 

"  Oh,  yes  !  I  will  ;  I  know  now  what  j'ou  mean.  I  have 
thought  it  all  out.  Making  the  widow's  'heart  sing  for  joy' 
is  your  singing  school.  (Job.  xxix  :  13.)  What  a  precious 
work,  John  !  '  Pure  religion  and  undefiled  is  to  visit  the 
fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affiiction.'  My  own  heart 
has  been  singing  for  joy  all  the  evening  because  of  your 
work,  and  I  do  not  mean  to  let  you  do  it  alone.  I  want  to 
draw  out  some  of  this  wonderful  music." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  277 

It  Pays  to  Grive  to  The  Lord. 

"A  clergyman  states,  that  soon  after  lie  dedicated  himself 
to  the  service  of  Christ,  he  resolved,  as  Jacob  did,  '  Of  all 
that  thou  shalt  give  me,  I  will  surely  give  a  tenth  unto  thee.' 
Of  the  first  $500  he  earned,  he  gave  $130,  and  in  such  a  way 
that  it  incited  a  wealthy  friend  to  give  several  hundreds 
more,  including  a  donation  of  $100  to  this  clergyman  himself. 
For  four  years,  the  clergyman  says,  '  My  expenses  were  small, 
my  habits  economical,  and  the  only  luxury  in  wliich  I  in- 
dulged was  the  luxury  of  giving.  In  the  two  first  of  these 
years  I  was  permitted  to  give  $500.'  '  On  a  review  of  my  min- 
istry of  about  sixteen  years,'  he  adds,  '•  I  find  God  has  gra- 
ciously permitted  me  to  give  to  the  cause  of  my  Redeemer 
nearly  $1,200,  by  which  amount  about  forty  life  memberships 
have  been  created  in  various  evangelical  societies.  During 
all  these  years  God  has  prospered  me ;  has  given  me  almost 
uninterrupted  health  ;  has  surrounded  me  with  sweet  domes- 
tic ties ;  and  my  congregation,  by  means  in  part  perhaps  of  a 
steady  example,  have  given  viore  in  these  sixteen  years  than 
in  all  their  long  previous  history." 

Another  Example  of  Beneficence. 

^^  A  liberal  donor,  in  enclosing  $100  to  a  sister  institution, 
but  strictly  withholding  his  name,  says,  '  When  I  began 
business,  it  was  with  the  intention  and  hope  to  become  rich. 
A  year  afterward  I  became,  as  I  trust,  a  Christian,  and 
about  the  same  time  met  with  '  Cobb's  Eesolutions,'  which  I 
adopted.  Some  four  or  five  years  later,  I  read  ^Normand 
Smith's  Memoir,'  and  also  Wesley's  ^  Sermon  on  the  use  of 
Money,'  which  led  me  to  devote  all  my  gains  to  benevolent 
uses,  reserving  to  myself  $5,000  while  I  remained  unmarried, 
part  of  which  I  have  bequeathed  to  relatives,  and  the  re- 
mainder to  benevolent  societies.  Up  to  this  time — about  six- 
teen years — by  the  grace  of  God — nothing  else — I  have  given 


278  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

about  $24,500  to  benevolent  purposes,  and  lent  about  $500 
to  those  in  need,  which  has  not  been  returned  j  making  in  all 
about  $25,000.'^ 

Commendable  Exam.ples. 

The  Methodist  Missionary  Society  mention  one  of  their 
donors  who,  for  twenty  years,  has  used  the  power  given  him 
of  getting  wealth,  for  his  Lord,  in  which  time  he  has  been  en- 
abled to  appropriate  to  benevolent  purposes  more  than  thirty 
thousand  dollars,  while  operating  with  a  capital  of  but  five 
thousand  dollars.  Another  business  man  of  that  denomina- 
tion in  Boston,  during  fifteen  years,  has  appropriated  thirty- 
nine  thousand  dollars. 


System  in  G-iving. 

A  correspondent  of  the  American  Tract  Society  says,  *'  It 
was  their  publications  which  induced  me  to  appropriate  stat- 
edly one-tenth  of  my  income  to  the  cause  of  the  Lord.  After 
acting  upon  that  scale  nearly  two  years,  and  finding  that  al- 
though my  donations  greatly  exceeded  those  of  former  years, 
my  affairs  were  not  thereby  involved  in  any  embarrassment ; 
but  that,  on  the  contrary,  with  increasing  contributions  to  the 
leading  objects  of  Christian  benevolence  and  to  general  char- 
ity, came  an  increased  store  and  enlarging  resources,  I  con- 
cluded, with  a  heart  throbbing  with  grateful  emotions  to  my 
Creator,  in  view  of  his  great  love  and  kindness  toward  me, 
that  I  would  increase  the  proportion." 

Lending  to  The  Lord. 

"A  poor  man,  some  of  whose  family  were  sick,  lived  near 
Deacon  Murray,  (referred  to  in  the  tract,  'Worth  of  a  Dollar,') 
and  occasionally  called  at  his  house  for  a  supply  of  milk. 
One   morning  he  came  while  the  family  were  at  breakfast. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  279 

Mrs.  Murray  rose  to  wait  upon  him,  but  tlie  deacon  said  to 
her,  '  Wait  till  after  breakfast.'  She  did  so,  and  meanwhile 
the  deacon  made  some  inquiries  of  the  man  about  his  family 
and  circumstances. 

"After  family  worship  the  deacon  invited  him  to  go  out  to 
the  barn  with  him.  When  they  got  into  the  yard,  the  dea- 
con, pointing  to  one  of  the  cows,  exclaimed,  '  There,  take  that 
cow,  and  drive  her  home.'  The  man  thanked  him  heartily 
for  the  cow,  and  started  for  home  ;  but  the  deacon  was  ob- 
served to  stand  in  the  attitude  of  deep  thought  until  the  man 
had  gone  some  rods.  He  then  looked  up,  and  called  out, 
'  Hey,  bring  that  cow  back.'  The  man  looked  around,  and 
the  deacon  added,  '  Let  that  cow  come  back,  and  you  come 
back  too.'  He  did  so  ;  and  when  he  came  into  the  yard  again, 
the  deacon  said,  '  There,  now,  take  your  pick  out  of  the  cows  ; 
I  a^nH  going  to  lend  to  the  Lord  the  poorest  cow  Vve  got.'' " 

A  Steward  of  Ms  Lord's  Bonnty. 

An  aged  benevolent  friend  in  a  western  city,  states  some 
interesting  facts  respecting  his  own  experience  in  giving  sys- 
tematically as  the  Lord  prospered  him.  He  says,  "  Our 
country  and  professors  of  religion  in  it  have  become  ^  rich  and 
increased  in  goods,'  but  I  fear  that  a  due  proportion  is  not  re- 
turned to  the  Giver  of  every  good. 

"I  commenced  business  in  1809  with  $600,  and  united 
with  the  'Northern  Missionary  Society  No.  2,'  which  met 
monthly  for  prayer,  and  required  the  payment  of  two  dollars 
a  year  from  each  member.  That  year  I  married,  and  the 
next  united  with  the  Christian  church.  No  definite  system 
of  giving  '  as  the  Lord  had  prospered '  me,  w^as  fully  made 
until  the  close  of  the  year  1841.  The  previous  fourteen  years 
had  been  assiduously  devoted  to  the  interests  of  Sabbath- 
schools  and  the  temperance  enterprise,  when  I  found  both 
my  physical  and  pecuniary  energies  diminished,  the  latter 
being  less  than  $30,000. 


280  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

"After  days  and  nights  of  close  examination  into  my  affairs, 
with  meditation  and  prayer,  I  promised  the  Lord  of  all,  I 
would  try  at  the  close  of  every  year  to  see  what  was  the  value 
of  my  property,  and  the  one-quarter  of  the  increase  I  would 
return  to  him  in  such  way  as  my  judgment,  aided  by  his 
word  and  providence,  might  direct. 

"For  more  than  fifteen  years  I  have  lived  up  to  this  re- 
solve, and  though  most  of  the  time  I  have  been  unable  to  at- 
tend to  active  business,  the  investments  I  have  made  have 
more  than  quadrupled  the  value  of  my  propert}^,  and  in  that 
time  enabled  me  to  return  to  Him  ^  from  whom  all  blessing? 
flow,'  $11,739.61." 


The  Five-Dollar  Gold  Piece. 

'A  friend,'  says  a  venerable  clergyman,  Kev.  Mr.  H- 


'  at  a  time  when  gold  was  scarce,  made  me  a  present  of  a 
five-dollar  gold  piece.  I  resolved  not  to  spend  it,  and  for  a 
long  time  carried  it  in  my  pocket  as  a  token  of  friendship. 
In  riding  about  the  country,  I  one  day  fell  in  with  an  ac- 
quaintance, who  presented  a  subscription-book  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  church  in  a  destitute  place. 

" '  I  can  do  nothing  for  j^ou,  Mr.  B ,'  said  I ;  ^ my  heart 

is  in  this  good  undertaking,  but  my  pocket  is  ^^ntirely  empty ; 
having  no  money,  j^ou  must  excuse  me.' 

"'Oh,  certainly,'  said  he;  'all  right,  sir.  We  know  you 
alwaj^s  give  when  it  is  in  your  power.' 

"  We  parted ;  and  after  I  had  proceeded  some  distance,  I  be- 
thought  me  of  the  piece  of  gold  in  my  vest  pocket.  '  What,' 
said  I  to  myself,  '  I  told  that  man  I  had  no  money,  when  I 
had  by  me  all  the  time  this  gold  pocket-piece.  This  was  an 
untruth,  and  I  have  done  wrong.'  I  kept  reproaching-  myself 
in  this  way  until  I  stoj^ped,  and  took  from  my  pock'^t  the 
five-dollar  piece. 

" '  Of  what  use,'  said  I,  '  is  this  piece  of  money,  st<>wed 
away  so  nicely  in  my  pocket  ?'     I  made  up  my  mind  to  turn 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  281 

back,  and  rode  as  fast  as  I  could  until  I  overtook  Mr.  B , 

to  whom  I  gave  the  coin,  and  resumed  my  journey. 

"A  few  days  after,  I  stopped  at  the  house  of  a  lady,  who 
treated  me  very  hospitably,  for  which  I  could  make  no  return, 
except  in  thanks  and  Christian  counsel.  When  I  took  leave, 
she  slipped  into  my  vest  pocket  a  little  folded  j)a23er,  which 
she  told  me  to  give  to  my  wife.  I  supposed  it  was  some  trifle 
for  the  children,  and  thought  no  more  of  it  until  I  reached 
home.  I  handed  it  to  my  wife,,  who  opened  it,  and  to  my  as- 
tonishment it  was  a  five-dollar  gold  piece,  the  identical 
pocket-piece  I  had  parted  with  hut  a  feiv  days  before.  I 
knew  it  was  the  same,  for  I  had  made  a  mark  upon  it ;  how 
this  had  been  brought  about  was  a  mystery,  but  that  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  was  in  it  I  could  not  doubt.  ^  See,'  said  I 
to  my  wife;  'I  thought  I  gave  that  money,  but  I  only  lent 
it;  how  soon  has  the  Lord  returned  it !  Never  again  will  I 
doubt  his  word.' 

"  I  afterward  learned  that  Mr.  B had  paid  over  the  coin 

to  the  husband  of  the  lady  at  whose  house  I  staid,  along  with 
some  other  mone}^,  in  payment  for  lumber,  and  he  had  given 
it  to  his  wife. 

^^  Take  my  advice,  and  when  appealed  to  for  aid,  fear  not 
to  give  of  your  poverty ;  depend  upon  it  the  Lord  will  not  let 
you  lose  by  it,  if  you  wish  to  do  good.  If  you  wish  to  ])yo^- 
per,  '  Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  3^ou ;  for  with  the  same 
measure  that  ye  mete,  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again.' 
'  Trust  in  the  Lord,  and  do  good ;  so  shalt  thou  dwell  in  the 
land,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed.'  " 

A  New  Year's  Incident. 

^*  One  New  Year's  day  I  was  going  out  to  visit  some  of  my 
poorer  neighbors,  and  thought  I  would  take  a  sovereign  to  a 
certain  widow  who  had  seen  days  of  competence  and  comfort. 
I  went  to  look  in  my  drawer,  and  was  so  sorry  to  find  I  had  but 
one  sovereign  left  in  my  bank  for  the  poor,  and  my  allowance 


282  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

would  not  be  due  for  two  or  three  weeks.  I  had  nearly  closed 
the  drawer  upon  the  solitary  sovereign,  when  this  passage 
of  Scripture  flashed  so  vividly  into  my  mind,  '  The  Lord  is 
able  to  give  thee  much  more  than  this/  (2  Chron.  xxv  :  9,) 
that  I  again  opened  the  drawer,  took  the  money,  and  entered 
the  carriage  which  was  waiting  for  me.  When  I  arrived  at 
Mrs.  A.'s,  and  with  many  good  wishes  for  the  New  Year, 
offered  her  the  sovereign,  I  shall  never  forget  her  face  of  sur- 
prised joy.  The  tears  ran  down  her  cheeks  while  she  took 
my  hands  and  said,  '  May  the  God  of  the  widow  and  father- 
less bless  you ;  we  had  not  one  penny  in  the  house,  nor  a 
morsel  of  bread  ;  it  is  he  who  has  heard  my  prayers,  and  sent 
you  again  and  again  to  supply  my  need.'  You  who  pray  for 
and  visit  the  poor,  and  enjoy  the  blessedness  of  relieving 
their  temporal  wants  and  of  speaking  to  them  of  Jesus,  you 
will  understand  the  gladness  of  heart  with  which  I  returned 
home. 

"  In  the  country  we  had  only  one  post  daily  ;  so  when  even- 
ing came  on,  and  it  was  nearly  ten  o'clock,  I  was  not  a  little 
surprised  at  receiving  a  letter.  When  I  opened  it,  how  my 
heart  beat  for  joy  when  I  read  these  words  from  a  compara- 
tive stranger:  ^You  will  have  many  poor  just  now  to  claim 
your  pity  and  your  help,  may  I  beg  you  to  dispense  the  en- 
closed five  pounds  as  you  see  fit  ?  and  I  have  ordered  a  box 
of  soap  to  be  sent  to  you  for  the  same  purpose.'  These  boxes 
of  soap  are  worth  four  pounds.  Thus  did-  our  gracious  God 
send  nine  times  as  much  as  I  gave  for  his  sake,  before  that 
day  had  closed." 

Feneberg's  Loan  to  the  Lord. 

'^A  poor  man  with  an  empty  purse  came  one  day  to  Michael 
Feneberg,  the  godly  pastor  of  Seeg,  in  Bavaria,  and  begged 
three  crowns,  that  he  might  finish  his  journey.  It  was  all 
the  money  Feneberg  had,  but  as  he  besought  him  so  earnest- 
ly in  the   name  of  Jesus,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  he  gave  it. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  283 

Immediately  after,  he  found  himself  in  great  outward  need, 
and  seeing  no  way  of  relief  he  jn-ayed,  saying,  '  Lord,  I  lent 
Thee  three  crowns  ;  Thou  hast  not  yet  returned  them,  and 
Thou  knowest  how  I  need  them.  Lord,  I  pray  Thee,  give 
them  back.'  The  same  day  a  messenger  brought  a  money- 
letter,  which  Gossner,  his  assistant,  reached  over  to  Feneberg, 
saying,  ^  Here,  father,  is  what  you  expended.'  The  letter 
contained  two  hundred  thalers,  or  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  which  the  poor  traveler  had  begged  from  a  rich 
man  for  the  vicar ;  and  the  childlike  old  man,  in  joyful 
amazement,  cried  out,  ^Ah,  dear  Lord,  one  dare  ask  nothing 
of  Thee,  for  straightw^ay  Thou  makest  one  feel  so  much 
ashamed ! '  " 

Compound  Interest. 

The  Christian  tells  of  a  minister  in  Ohio,  who  in  1860 
was  engaged  to  statedly  supply  a  congregation  who  were  in 
arrears  for  a  whole  year's  salary  to  their  former  pastor,  and 
were  only  able  to  promise  their  ^supply'  five  dollars  a  Sun- 
day till  the  old  debt  should  be  paid.  At  the  close  of  the 
year,  only  about  two-thirds  of  this  amount  had  been  paid. 
So  it  was  not  strange  that  their  '  supply '  soon  found  himself 
in  arrears  for  many  things.  That  year  the  cost  of  his  peri- 
odicals alone  had  amounted  to  sixteen  dollars.  This  he  could 
not  pay,  and  as  none  of  them  could  be  stopped  without  pay- 
ment of  arrearages,  the  debt  must  continue  to  increase. 

On  New  Year's  day  the  minister  was  called  to  marry  a 
couple,  and  gave  the  fee,  five  dollars,  to  his  wife  saying,  "  I 
want  you  to  get  yourself  a  dress  with  this."  There  was  a 
kind  of  material  much  worn  then,  which  she  had  very  much 
admired,  a  dress  of  which  would  cost  four  dollars.  So  she 
went  to  the  Mission  periodical  to  find  the  address  of  the  Mis- 
sion Secretary,  thinking  to  send  the  extra  dollar  there.  But 
as  she  glanced  over  its  pages  and  noticed  the  trials  and 
straits  of  the  missionaries,  and  the  embarrassment  of  the 
Board  that  year,  her  heart  was  touched  and  she  felt  that  they 


284  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

needed  the  money  more  than  she  did  the  dress,  and  instead 
of  the  one  she  concluded  to  send  the  live  dollars. 

She  went  to  her  husband  and  read  her  letter  to  him.  "  O," 
said  he,  "I'm  afraid  we  are  too  poor  to  give  so  much."  With  a 
little  feeling  of  disappointment  she  said,  "  Well,  give  me  the 
change  and  I  will  send  what  I  had  intended  at  first."  "No," 
said  he,  ^you  have  given  it,  and  I  dare  not  take  it  back." 

And  so  with  a  prayer  that  God  would  accept  and  bless  the 
gift  she  signed  her  letter,  "  A  Friend  of  Missions,"  thinking, 
as  no  one  would  know  the  author,  that  was  the  last  she  would 
hear  about  it  in  this  world. 

The  ladies  of  that  congregation  were  accustomed  to  meet 
weekly  at  the  parsonage  to  sew  for  those  in  need.  The  next 
week  a  \ady  who  was  visiting  in  the  place  came  with  her 
friends,  and  as  she  entered  the  parlor  she  tossed  a  bundle  in- 
to the  lap  of  the  minister's  wife,  saying,  "  Mrs.  ,  here  is 

a  present  for  you." 

The  present  was  a  dress  pattern  of  the  same  kind  of  mate- 
rial she  had  intended  to  purchase.  And  as  she  thought  to  her- 
self, "  God  has  given  me  this  in  place  of  what  I  have  given," 
she  was  reminded  of  the  words,  "  Give,  and  it  shall  be  given 
to  you."     But  that  was  not  the  end. 

A  short  time  afterwards  she  received  a  letter  from  the 
Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Missions,  enclosing  a  printed  copy 
of  her  own  letter,  and  asking  if  she  were  the  author  of  it ; 
and  added,  "  If  so,  a  large-hearted  man  in  New  York  has 
authorized  me  to  send  you  twenty-five  dollars,  with  a  special 
request  that  you  purchase  a  dress  worth  five  dollars,  and  give 
the  rest  to  your  husband  and  children."  There  was  her  five 
dollars  back,  with  four  times  as  much  more  added  to  it. 


The  Brown  Towel. 

The  editor  of  The  Christian  Woman  tells  the  story  of  a 
poor  woman  who,  in  her  anxiety  to  give  to  the  Lord,  oould 
find  nothing  but  a  poor  brown  towel. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  285 

"  They  must  be  very  poor  who  have  nothing  to  give,"  said 
Mrs.  Jarvis,  as  she  deposited  a  pair  of  beautiful  English 
blankets  in  a  box  that  was  being  filled  by  the  ladies  of  the 
church  to  be  sent  to  the  poor. 

"  And  now,  ladies,  as  you  are  nearly  through,  I  would  like 
to  tell  you  an  incident  in  my  history ;  I  was  once  very  poor." 

"  You  once  very  poor  ?  "  said  a  lady. 

"  Yes ;  I  was  once  very  poor.  There  came  to  our  village  a 
missionary  to  deliver  a  lecture.  I  felt  very  desirous  to  go; 
but  having  no  decent  apparel  to  wear,  I  was  often  deprived 
of  going  to  church,  although  I  was  a  member. 

''  I  waited  dntil  it  was  late,  and  then  slipped  in  and  took  a 
seat  behind  the  door. 

''I  listened  with  streaming  eyes  to  the  missionary's  acount 
of  the  destitution  and  darkness  in  heathen  lands.  Poor  as  I 
was,  I  felt  it  to  be  a  great  privilege  to  live  in  a  Christian 
land  and  to  be  able  to  read  my  Bible. 

"It  was  proposed  by  our  pastor  that  the  congregation 
should  fill  a  box  and  send  it  out  with  the  missionary  on  his 
return. 

"0,"  thought  I,  "how  I  would  like  to  send  something." 
"When  I  returned  home  my  poor  children  were  still  sleeping 
soundly,  and  my  disconsolate  husband  waiting  my  return, 
for  he  had  been  out  of  employment  some  time.  After  he  had 
gone  to  bed  I  went  to  looking  over  my  clothes,  but  I  could 
find  nothing  that  was  suitable  that  I  could  possibly  spare ; 
then  I  began  looking  over  the  children's  things,  but  could 
find  nothing  that  the  poor  dears  could  be  deprived  of ;  sol 
went  to  bed  with  a  heavy  heart,  and  lay  a  long  time  thinking 
of  the  destitution  of  the  poor  heathen,  and  how  much  better 
off  I  was. 

"  I  got  to  thinking  over  my  little  stock  again.  There 
was  nothing  I  could  put  into  the  box  except  two  brown 
towels. 

"  Next  day  I  got  my  towels,  pieced  out  the  best  one,  and 
when    it   was   almost  dark,  put  on   my  bonnet,  went  to  the 


286  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

church,  slipped  my  towel  into  the  box,  and  came  away  think- 
ing that  the  Lord  knew  I  had  done  what  I  could. 

"And  now,  ladies,  let  me  tell  you  it  was  not  long  after  that 
till  my  husband  got  into  a  good  situation  j  and  prosperity  has 
followed  us  ever  since.  So  I  date  back  my  prosperity  to  this 
incident  of  the  brown  towel." 

Her  story  was  done,  and,  as  her  carriage  was  waiting  at  the 
door,  she  took  her  departure,  leaving  us  all  mute  with  sur- 
prise that  one  so  rich  and  generous  had  been  trained  to  giv» 
amid  poverty. 

Giving  Blessed. 

A  merchant  of  St.  Petersburg,  at  his  own  cost,  supported 
several  native  missionaries  in  India,  and  gave  liberally  to  the 
cause  of  Christ  at  home.  On  being  asked  how  he  could 
afford  to  do  it,  he  replied  : 

"  Before  my  conversion,  when  I  served  the  world  and  self, 
I  did  it  on  a  grand  scale,  and  at  the  most  lavish  expense. 
And  when  God  by  his  grace  called  me  out  of  darkness,  1 
resolved  that  Christ  and  his  cause  should  have  more  than  I 
had  ever  spent  for  the  world.  And  as  to  giving  so  much,  it 
is  God  who  enables  me  to  do  it ;  for,  at  my  conversion,  I  sol- 
emnly promised  that  I  would  give  to  his  cause  a  fixed  propor- 
tion of  all  that  my  business  brought  in  to  me  ;  and  every 
year  since  I  made  that  promise,  it  has  brought  me  in  about 
double  what  it  did  the  year  before,  so  that  I  easily  can,  as  I  do, 
double  my  gifts  for  his  service." 

And  so  good  old  John  Bunyan  tells  us, 

"  A  man  there  was,  some  called  him  mad, 
The  more  he  gave,  the  more  he  had." 

And  there  are  truth  and  instruction  in  the  inscription  on  the 
Italian  tombstone,  "What  I  gave  away,  I  saved;  what  I 
spent,  I  used ;  what  I  kept,  I  lost."  "  Giving  to  the  Lord," 
says  another,  "  is  but  transporting  our  goods  to  a  higher  floor." 
And,  says  Dr.  Barrow,  "  In  defiance  of  all  the  torture  and 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  287 

malice  and  might  of  the  world,  the  liberal  man  will  ever  be 
rich  ;  for  God's  providence  is  his  estate  ;  God's  wisdom  and 
power,  his  defence ;  God's  love  and  favor,  his  reward ;  and 
God's  word,  his  security." 

Richard  Baxter  says,  "  I  never  prospered  more  in  my  small 
estate  than  when  I  gave  most.  My  rule  has  been,  first,  to 
contrive  to  need,  myself,  as  little  as  may  be,  to  lay  out  none 
on  need-nots,  but  to  live  frugally  on  a  little ;  second,  to  serve 
God  in  any  place,  upon  that  competency  which  he  allowed  me 
to  myself,  that  what  I  had  myself  might  be  as  good  a  work 
for  common  good,  as  that  which  I  gave  to  others ;  and  tldrd, 
to  do  all  the  good  I  could  with  all  the  rest,  preferring  the 
most  public  and  durable  object,  and  the  nearest.  And  the 
more  I  have  practiced  this,  the  more  I  have  had  to  do  it  with  ; 
and  when  I  gave  almost  all,  more  came  in,  I  scarce  knew  how, 
at  least  unexpected.  But  when  by  improvidence  I  have  cast 
myself  into  necessities  of  using  more  upon  myself  or  upon 
things  in  themselves  of  less  importance,  I  have  prospered 
much  less  than  when  I  did  otherwise.  And  when  I  had  con- 
tented myself  to  devote  a  stock  I  had  gotten  to  charitable 
uses  after  my  death,  instead  of  laying  it  out  at  present,  in  all 
probability,  that  is  like  to  be  lost ;  whereas,  when  I  took  the 
present  opportunity,  and  trusted  God  for  the  time  to  come,  I 
wanted  nothing  and  lost  nothing." 

These  are  a  few  of  many  evidences,  that  where  we  give 
from  right  motives,  we  are  never  the  poorer,  but  the  richer 
for  doing  it.  '•  The  liberal  soul  shall  be  made  fat,  and  he 
that  watereth,  shall  be  watered  also,  himself." 

Lending  to  the  Lord. 

As  a  series  of  religious  meetings  was  held  in  a  Baptist 

church  in ,  and  the  hearts  of  God's  people  were  greatly 

encouraged,  the  church  was  consumed  by  fire.  It  was  pro- 
posed to  continue  the  meetings  in  the  Congregational  church, 
but  the  workmen  were  coming  the  next  morning  to  demolish 


288  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

and  rebuild  it.  It  was  then  proposed  to  hire  the  workmen  to 
dela}'^,  that  the  people  might  assemble  for  three  days  more, 
but  nothing  was  done  ;  when  the  Congregational  pastor  walk- 
ing his  study,  and  thinking  that  some  souls  might  be  gathered 
in,  went  to  the  workmen,  and  handed  them  $10  from  his  own 
pocket,  which  he  could  ill  afford ;  the  meetings  were  con- 
tinued, and  a  number  of  souls  hopefully  converted  to  God. 
The  day  following,  as  he  parsed  the  house,  the  man  to  whom 
he  paid  the  $  10  called  to  him,  and  constrained  him  to  receive 
back  the  whole  amount,  saying  it  was  of  no  value  compared 
with  the  saving  of  a  soul. 

The  Liberal  Farmer. 

A  farmer  in  one  of  the  retired  mountain  towns  of  Massa- 
chusetts, began  business  in  1818,  with  six  hundred  dollars  in 
debt.  He  began  with  the  determination  to  pay  the  debt  in 
six  years,  in  equal  installments,  and  to  give  all  his  net  income 
if  any  remained  above  those  installments.  The  income  of  the 
first  year,  however,  was  expended  in  purchasing  stock  and 
other  necessaries  for  his  farm. 

In  the  six  next  years  he  paid  off  the  debt,  and  having  aban- 
doned the  intention  of  ever  being  any  richer,  he  has  ever 
since  given  his  entire  income,  after  supporting  his  family  and 
thoroughly  educating  his  six  children. 

During  all  this  period  he  has  lived  with  the  strictest  econ- 
omy, and  everything  pertaining  to  his  house,  table,  dress  and 
equipage  has  been  in  the  most  simple  style  ;  and  though  he 
has  twice  been  a  member  of  the  State  Senate,  he  conscien- 
tiously retains  this  simplicity  in  his  mode  of  life.  The  farm 
is  rocky  and  remote  from  the  village,  and  his  whole  prop- 
erty, real  and  personal,  would  not  exceed  in  value  three  thou- 
sand dollars.  Yet  sometimes  he  has  been  enabled  to  give 
from  $200  to  $300  a  year. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  289 

Experience  of  a  Saddler. 

Kormand  Smith,  a  saddler  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  after  prac- 
ticing for  years  an  elevated  system  of  benevolence,  bequeathed 
in  charity  the  sum  of  $30,000. 

An  anonymous  writer  says  of  himself,  that  he  commenced 
business  and  prosecuted  it  in  the  usual  way  till  he  lost  $900, 
which  was  all  he  was  worth,  and  found  himself  in  debt  $1,100. 

Being  led  by  his  trials  to  take  God's  word  as  his  guide  in 
business  as  well  as  in  heart  and  religion,  he  determined  to 
give  his  earnings  liberally  unto  the  Lord. 

The  first  year  he  gave  $12.  For  eighteen  years  the  amount 
increased  by  about  25  per  cent.,  and  the  last  year  he  gave 
$850,  and  he  says  he  did  it  easier  than  during  the  first  year 
he  paid  the  $12.  Besides,  though  with  nothing  but  his 
hands  to  depend  on  when  he  began  this  course,  he  paid  the 
whole  debt  of  $1,100  with  interest,  though  it  took  him  nine 
years  to  do  it. 

Jacob  not  Blessed  until  He  Became  a  Lib- 
eral Giver. 

Jacob  went  out  from  his  father's  house  *^  with  his  staff,"  a 
poor  man.  But  at  Bethel  he  vowed  to  give  to  God  the  tenth 
of  all  that  God  should  bestow  on  him.  Commencing  thus, 
God  blessed  him,  and  in  twenty  years  he  returned  with  great 
riches. 

The  Lord's  Insurance  Money. 

A  tradesman  in  New  York  had  pledged  to  give  to  the  Lord 
a  certain  portion  of  his  business  receipts  as  fast  as  the}^  were 
collected.  He  called  this  The  LorcVs  insurance  moneij,  for, 
said  he,  "  so  long  as  I  give  so  long  will  the  Lord  help  me  and 
bless  me,  and  in  some  way  he  will  give  me  the  means  to  give, 
so  it  is  no  money  lost.  Rather  it  is  a  blessing  to  my  heart 
to  keep  it  open  in  gratitude,  a  blessing  to  dispose  of  it  to 
19 


290  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

gladden  other  hearts,  and  the  surest  way  to  keep  the  Lord's 
favor  with  me." 

The  results  of  his  experience  were  blessed  indeed,  as  he 
said,  "I  never  realized  before  how  closely  the  Lord  is  con- 
nected with  all  my  interests,  and  how  he  helps  me  in  all  my 
business  plans.  Things  happen  constantly  which  show  me 
constantly  that  some  one  who  knows  more  than  I  is  benefit- 
ing me — protecting  me.  Bad  debts  have  been  paid  which  I 
did  not  expect.  Errand  boys,  just  getting  into  sly  and  bad 
habits,  have  been  discovered  ere  their  thefts  had  proceeded 
far.  As  I  needed  competent  help  in  my  business,  it  has  come 
just  as  it  was  wanted.  When  customers  were  failing,  somehow 
their  debts  to  me  were  paid,  although  they  failed  to  pay 
others.  A  severe  fire  came  to  my  ofiice  and  apparently 
seemed  to  have  swept  all  my  valuables  away.  But  it  was 
stopped  at  just  the  right  moment,  and  not  one  thing  valuable 
was  lost.  The  insurance  companies  paid  me  enough  to  re- 
place every  damage,  and  the  office  was  renewed  better  than 
before.  The  Lord  sends  me  business  enough  to  pay  for  my 
debts,  yet  others  are  dull.  /  cannot  tell  why  it  is,  except 
that  I  always  pray  for  my  business,  and  ask  the  Lord  to  bless 
it  for  the  good  of  others,  and  that  the  means  which  come  from 
it  may  be  used  for  his  cause.  When  I  stop  giving,  business 
stops  coming.  When  I  stop  praying  specially  for  it,  perplex- 
ities arise.  As  long  as  I  pray  for  it,  it  all  moves  easily,  and 
I  have  no  care  or  trouble.  The  Lord  is  my  Banker,  my 
Helper,  my  Insurer,  my  Deliverer,  my  Patron,  and  my  Blessed 
Savior  of  temporal  things  as  well  as  spiritual." 

Give  and  it  Shall  "be  Given. 

" '  Cheerful  giving,'  writes  an  aged  minister,  ^  is  what 
enriches  the  giver  and  brings  down  a  blessing  from  above. 
A  poor  clergyman  attended  one  of  Zion's  festivals  in  a  dis- 
tant city.  The  railroad  company  supplied  him  with  a  return 
ticket,  and  though  many  of  his  brethren  would  secure  treas- 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  291 

ures  from  the  book-stores,  but  a  solitary  twenty-five  cent  scrip 
was  in  his  possession,  and  he  would  need  that  to  pay  for  refresh- 
ment on  his  way  home.  It  was  the  last  day  of  the  feast.  Men- 
tion, again  and  again,  was  made  of  the  widow's  mite,  or  poor 
men's  gifts,  and,  as  the  boxes  were  passed,  he  felt  sad  that,  in 
his  deep  poverty,  he  could  not  cast  in  a  single  penny.  As  the 
assembly  was  dismissed,  it  was  announced  that  collectors  would 
stand  at  the  door  to  gather  up  the  fragments  which  ought  to 
be  in  the  Lord's  treasury.  With  slow  steps  this  good  man 
passed  down  and  put  that  last  money  he  possessed  into  the 
waiting  box. 

"In  a  few  moments,  a  gentleman  of  the  city  invited  him  to 
his  table  to  dine,  with  quite  a  number  of  the  dignitaries  of 
the  church.  During  the  repast,  the  host  was  called  from  the 
table  for  a  little  time.  At  the  conclusion  of  a  pleasant  enter- 
tainment, the  poor  minister  was  taken  one  side  and  an  envel- 
ope put  into  his  hands,  with  this  remark  :  '  I  was  called  from 
the  table  by  a  man  who  has  long  owed  me  a  small  debt,  which 
I  thought  was  lost  a  long  time  since,  and  I  cannot  think  what 
it  was  paid  to-day  for,  except  that  I  might  give  it  to  you.' 
The  envelope  contained  twenty-five  dollars.  When  the  books 
are  opened,  that  rich  steward  will  see  how  his  money  was  used, 
and  thank  God,  who  put  it  into  his  heart  to  dispose  of  it 
thus." 

"  Lending  to  the  Lord." 

"  A  physician  who  is  not  a  professor  of  religion,  in  a  neigh- 
boring city,  has  for  many  years  exhibited  an  unshaken  faith 
in  that  declaration.  He  told  me  that  he  has  made  many 
experiments  on  it,  and  the  Lord  has  fulfilled  his  words,  '  That 
which  he  hath  given  will  He  pay  him  again,'  in  every  case. 
One  of  his  ^experiments'  came  under  my  observation. 

"It  was  a  bleak  and  chilling  day  in  the  Winter  of  1847-8. 
The  doctor  was  going  his  rounds  and  met  a  poor  colored  boy 
in  the  street.  He  was  nearly  frozen  to  death.  He  accosted 
the  doctor,  and  asked  him  most  pit6ously  for  a  little  money, 


292  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

stating,  at  the  same  time,  that  his  master,  an  old  Quaker,  had 
excluded  him  from  the  house,  and  compelled  him  to  remain 
in  the  barn ;  he  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  desired  to  go 
home — twenty  miles  up  the  river.  The  doctor  now  had  tlie 
materials  for  another  test  of  the  promise.  'You  shall  not 
suffer  if  I  can  help  you,'  was  his  cheering  reply  to  the  boy. 
He  requested  him  to  call  at  his  office,  and  went  to  a  neighbor- 
ing hotel  and  told  the  landlord  to  keep  the  boy  until  farther 
orders.  Late  in  the  evening  the  boy  again  appeared  at  the 
office,  and  stated  that  the  landlord  had  said,  '  We  don't  keep 
darkies  over  night.'  The  doctor  immediately  started  out  in 
search  of  new  quarters,  and,  after  some  difficulty,  found  a  col- 
ored woman  who  was  willing  to  keep  the  boy  for  a  few  days. 
In  a  short  time  the  river,  which  had  been  closed  with  ice,  was 
open.  The  doctor  paid  the  bills,  gave  the  boy  a  dollar,  and 
bade  him  God  speed.  That  is  what  he  calls  lending  to  the 
Lord.  Now  for  the  payment.  When  he  called  at  the  house 
of  the  colored  person  to  pay  the  bill,  he  '  accidentally '  met 
an  old  lad}'^,  who  scrutinized  him  closel}'^,  and  at  length  said, 

'  A'n't  you  Doctor  B ? '     '  Yes,'  was  the  reply  ;   '  but  who 

are  you  ?  '  '  No  matter  about  my  name  ;  I  owe  you  four  dol- 
lars, which  you  have  long  sijice  forgotten,  and  which  I  did 
not  intend  to  pay  you  till  I  saw  what  you  have  done  to  that 
poor  boy.  The  Lord  bless  you  for  your  kindness.  Next 
week  you  shall  have  your  money.'  She  came  according  to 
her  promise  and  offered  the  money,  but  the  doctor  was  unwil- 
ling to  take  it,  as  he  had  no  charge  on  his  books.  She  forced 
it  on  him.  He  afterwards  simply  remarked,  '  My  meeting  that 
woman  was  not  a  mere  accident ;  the  Lord  always  fulfills  his 
promise.  I  generally  get  my  capital  back,  with  compound 
interest.' " 

The  Praying  Shoe-maker. 

A  shoe-maker  being  asked  how  he  contrived  to  give  so  much, 
replied  that  it  was  easily  done  by  obeying  St.  Paul's  precept 
in  1  Cor.  16:2:   "Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  let  every 


ANSWERS   TO   PEAVEK.  293 

one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store,  as  God  hath  prospered  him  " 

da.Id'r"  ;/'"'"  '''^"'''  another,  about  a  dollar  a 

day  and  I  can  without  inconvenience  to  myself  or  family  lav 

.»  thirty  cents  a  week.  My  wife  takes  in  sewing  and  wash- 
ing, and  earns  something  like  two  dollars  a  week,  and  she  lays 
by  ten  cents  of  that.  My  children  each  of  them  earn  a  hn 
1  ng  or  two,  and  are  glad  to  contribute  their  penny;  so  th  t 
altogether  we  fay  i>,j  us  in  store  forty  cents  a  leek  And 
we  have  been  unusually  pro.spered,  we  contribute  something 
more.     The  weekly  amount  is  deposited  every  Sunday  morn 

use.     Thus,  by  these  small  earnings,  we  have  learned  that  it 
.s  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.     The  yearly  amoun 
s  ved  in  this  way  is  about  tu-enty-fi.e  ioUars ;  'and  I  distrib- 

tt  bt:  r/^iXr:-^  '^-^^"^^  ^°^'^"-  --^-^  - 

The  History  and  Business  Successes  of 
Liberal  Givers. 

Mr.  Nathaniel  R.  Cobb,  a  merchant  connected  with  the 
Baptist  church  in  Boston,  in  1821,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three 
drew  up  and  subscribed  the  following  covenant,  to  which  he' 
faithfully  adhered  till  on  his  death-bed  he  praised  God  that 

$40'000.^  '""'''°^  *"  ''  ^"  ^"^  ^""'^  '"  '^''"'y  "'*''-  'h'"' 
$50,000.""  ^'■'''  "^  ^'"^'  ^  "'"  "'"''  ^'  '">''^'  "'""-^  "-" 

Jn^/  T  ^T"-  "*  ^"^'  •  ""'  S'™  one.fourth  of  the  net 
profits  of  my  business  to  charitable  and  religious  uses. 

nef  Ir  "T./;--"'  «20,000,  I  will  give  one-half  of  my 
net  profits  ;  and  if  I  am  ever  worth  $30,000, 1  will  give  three- 
fourths  ;  and  the  whole,  after  $50,000.  So  help  me  God  or 
give  to  a  more  faithful  steward,  and  set  me  aside. 

"N.  E.  COBB." 


294  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Faith  in  G-od's  Liberality. 

A  clergyman,  himself  an  exponent  of  God's  bountiful  deal- 
ings with  men,  was  called  upon  in  test  of  his  own  principles 
of  giving  to  the  Lord. 

Preaching,  in  the  morning,  a  sermon  on  Foreign  Missions, 
an  unusually  large  contribution  was  taken  up.  In  the  after- 
noon, he  listened  to  another  sermon,  by  a  brother,  on  Home 
Missions,  and  the  subject  became  so  important  that  he  was 
led  closely  to  agitate  the  question  how  much  he  should  himself 
give  to  the  cause.  "  I  was,  indeed,  in  a  great  strait  between 
charity  and  necessity.  I  felt  desirous  to  contribute ;  but, 
there  I  was,  on  a  journey,  and  I  had  given  so  much  in  the 
morning  that  I  really  feared  I  had  no  more  money  than  would 
bear  my  expenses. 

^'  The  collection  was  taken  ;  I  gave  my  last  dollar,  and  trusted 
in  the  Lord  to  provide.  I  proceeded  on  my  journey,  stopping 
to  see  a  friend  for  whom  I  had  collected  forty  dollars.  I  was 
now  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  from  home,  and  how  my 
expenses  were  to  be  met,  I  could  not  imagine.  But,  judge 
my  surprise,  when,  on  presenting  the  money  to  my  friend,  he 
took  a  hundred  dollars,  and,  adding  it  to  the  forty,  placed  the 
whole  of  it  in  my  hand,  saying  he  would  make  me  a  present 
of  it. 

"  Gratitude  and  joy  swelled  my  bosom  ;  my  mind  at  once 
remembered  my  sacrifice  of  the  day  before,  and  now  I  had 
realized  the  literal  fulfillment  of  the  promise,  ^Give,  and  it 
shall  be  given  unto  you ;  good  measure,  pressed  down  and 
running  over,  shall  men  give  into  your  bosom.' " 

He  Gave  His  Last  $5  to  the  Lord. 

A  missionary  agent  thus  relates  this  incident  in  the  life  of 
a  poor  physician  : 

^'  I  preached  a  missionary  sermon  in  the  town  of  ,  and 

a  physician  subscribed  and  paid  five  dollars.     A  gentleman 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  295 

standing  by  told  me  that  the  five  dollars  was  all  he  had,  or 
was  worth ;  that  he  had  lost  his  property  and  paid  up  his 
debts,  and  moved  into  town  to  commence  j^racticing,  with  no 
other  resources  than  that  five-dollar  bill.  He  and  his  wife 
were  obliged  to  board  out,  as  he  was  not  able  to  keep  house. 

"  I  resolved,  at  once,  that  I  would  keep  watch  of  that  man, 
and  see  what  the  Lord  would  do  with  him.  About  a  year 
after  this  interview,  I  visited  the  place  again,  and  found  the 
physician  keeping  house  in  good  style. 

^^  During  the  Summer,  while  the  cholera  raged  in  the 
country,  by  a  series  of  events,  guided,  as  he  believes,  by  the 
providence  of  God,  most  of  the  practice  was  thrown  into  his 
hands,  and  he  had  taken  more  than  $2,500." 


§mn%  of  f  ouv  #0^ 

§ut  what  i^ 


grams  of. 


PRAYERS  ANSWERED 


Help  In  Paying  a  Mortgage. 

A  BUSINESS  man  in  New  York  had  several  large  amounts 
Jue  for  payment.  An  unprecedented  series  of  calls  from 
tradesmen  wishing  their  bills  paid  sooner  than  customary, 
drained  his  means,  and  he  was  satisfied  from  the  situation 
that  his  means  would  not  be  sufficient  to  pay  them  all. 
His  business  receipts,  at  this  juncture,  fell  to  one-half  what 
they  had  usually  been.  A  loan  was  due  at  the  bank ;  a 
mortgage  on  his  property,  as  well  as  large  notes.  He  could 
do  no  more  than  ask  the  Lord  constantly  in  prayer,  to  either 
send  supplies  of  business,  or  open  ways  of  relief.  Commit- 
ting his  cares  all  to  the  Lord,  he  endeavored  to  throw  off  his 
burden  and  with  diligence  in  trade  do  what  was  possible  for 
protection. 

He  was  greatly  surprised  when  the  bank  loan  fell  due  to 
learn  that  a  trifling  payment  would  be  acceptable,  and  the 
rest  extended  at  his  convenience.  This  was  remarkable,  as 
the  security  had  depreciated  somewhat,  and  the  loan  had  been 
then  extended  longer  than  usual. 

The  holder  of  the  mortgage  did  not  call  as  usual  for  his 
interest.  In  great  surprise  the  tradesman  dropped  a  note, 
saying  he  would  meet  his  demand,  but  if  not  all  the  mortgage 
was  needed,  its  extension  would  benefit  the  use  of  the  capital 


298  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

in  his  business.  To  his  surprise,  he  received  a  reply  that  the 
mortgage  would  be  extended  one-half  until  the  next  interest 
day,  and  the  rest  might  be  paid  now  if  it  could  be  spared. 
This  was  just  the  money  which  the  tradesman  could  spare,  and 
was  intending  to  propose,  but  refrained  from  mentioning  it. 

A  sudden  opportunity  in  business  arose  which  enabled  him 
to  see  how  to  use  the  rest  of  the  money  he  had  on  hand,  as 
capital,  whereby  he  could  clear  within  three  months  the 
remainder  of  the  mortgage  before  it  became  due. 

Thus  the  Lord  in  answer  to  prayer,  relieved  his  necessities, 
eased  his  creditors,  gave  him  knowledge  and  intelligence  of 
profitable  ways  of  trade,  and  helped  him  freely  according  to 
his  faith. 

Thus  business  needs  prayer,  as  well  as  the  interests  of  the 
home,  the  church  and  the  soul.  When  the  means  derived  in 
business  is  used  to  bless  the  Lord's  poor,  "  The  Lord  will 
deliver  him  in  time  of  trouhW^ 

A  Remarkable  Prayer  and  Its  Answer. 

A  lady,  who  had  led  for  many  years  a  life  of  faith,  caring 
for  orphans  and  invalids,  was  led  one  day  in  thought  to  wish 
that  she  might  devote  all  her  money  to  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
and  use  it  specially  for  one  branch  of  his  service  which  few  had 
ever  entered.  She  possessed  only  a  thousand  dollars  ;  and 
not  knowing  whether  the  thought  was  her  own  and  therefore 
rash,  or  whether  it  came  from  the  Lord,  she  asked  the  Lord  in 
prayer,  that  if  the  thought  was  from  Him  "  it  might  be  con- 
tinually before  me  ;  if  it  were  not,  that  I  might  cease  to  think 
of  the  matter." 

''■  It  was  kept  before  me  as  a  privilege,  to  help  me  realize  a 
greater  personal  nearness  to  God  as  my  Father.  It  was  a 
very  important  matter,  and  fearing  a  mistake,  I  requested 
a  sign.  I  asked  God,  if  he  wished  me  to  give  the  money, 
(which  we  held  at  His  disposal,)  that  He  would  send  me  one 
dollar,  (no  more,  no  less,)  from  some  individual  with  whom  I 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  299 

had  no  acquaintance.  About  three  M^eeks  after  my  request, 
I  attended  a  prayer-meeting,  where  about  a  dozen  ladies  were 
'  gathered.  After  the  meeting,  an  elderly  lady  I  had  never 
seen  before,  put  something  in  my  hand  saying,  '  You  will  not 
he  offended,  dear,  ivill  you  ?  '  When  I  looked  at  the  money, 
I  found  that  it  tv as  just  one  dollar,  my  token.  I  exclaimed, 
mentally,  dear  Lord,  do  not  let  me  ever  doubt  thee  again. 
I  afterwards  asked  the  lady  why  she  gave  me  the  dollar. 
She  said,  'Before  I  went  to  the  prayer-meeting,  I  felt  that  I 
ought  to  take  a  dollar  with  me,  and  when  I  saw  you,  I  felt 
that  you  were  the  one  I  should  give  it  to.'  " 

"  Nearly  five  years  have  passed  since  then,  when  I  gave  all, 
and  my  purse  has  never  been  empty.  I  have  been  constantly 
occupied  in  work  of  love,  and  my  Father  has  sweetly  cared  for 
me  in  every  respect." 

This  lady  in  her  faith  work  has  had  under  her  constant 
care  as  many  as  twenty-two  helpless  invalids,  of  utter  poverty, 
yet  prayer  has  always  brought  them  needed  supplies,  and  the 
Lord  has  kept  them. 


Recovery  from  Insanity. 

A  most  remarkable  case  of  recovery  from  insanitv  is  given 
by  President  William  M.  Brooks,  of  Tabor  Coiiege,  iowa. 

'^  A  young  lady  of  my  acquaintance,  of  a  finished  education, 
lost  her  reason  in  the  Winter  of  1871-2,  and  in  August,  1872, 
was  placed  in  the  institution  for  the  insane,  at  Mt.  Pleasant, 
la.  No  encouragement  was  given  of  her  recovery,  and  a  year 
later,  when  her  father  visited  her,  in  June,  1873,  she  appeared 
so  badly,  that  he  said  it  would  be  a  relief  to  know  that  she 
was  dead.  Soon  after,  Mrs.  H.,  the  wife  of  a  Baptist  minis- 
ter, who  had  long  known  and  loved  her,  being  shut  up  for 
days  in  a  dark  room,  because  of  inflamed  eyes,  felt  drawn  out 
in  special  prayer  in  her  behalf,  and  finally  sent  for  the  father 
and  told  him  of  her  exercises,  and  of  the  assurance  gained 
that  his  daughter  would  be  fully  restored. 


300  ~  AIJSWERS   TO    PRAYER. 

"  In  a  few  days,  came  news  of  a  sudden  change  for  the  bet- 
ter, and  in  a  little  over  two  months  she  returned  home  well, 
and  is  now  teaching  with  all  her  powers  in  full  vigor. 

"  The  acting  supe*rintendent  of  the  hospital,  who  is  not  a 
professed  Christian,  and  who  knew  nothing  of  the  prayers 
referred  to,  said  that  when  the  change  occurred  there  was  not 
a  case  among  the  five  hundred  inmates  of  which  he  had  less 
hope,  and  that  it  was  the  most  remarkable  case  of  recovery 
which  he  had  known  during  the  eight  years  of  his  connection 
with  the  hospital." 

Seeking  Direction  in  Business. 

A  lady  clerk  employed  in  an  apparently  successful  business 
was  offered  an  opportunity  in  a  new  business,  which,  though 
much  smaller  and  less  successful  than  the  first,  yet  had  rich 
promise  in  it  for  the  future.  The  salary  promised  was  the 
same  in  either  case.  In  doubt,  she  often  waited  upon  the 
Lord,  and  asked  to  be  guided, — a  whisper  in  her  heart  kept 
saying,  "  Go,"  "  Go."  Constant  praying  kept  it  growing 
stronger  and  stronger, — at  last  she  decided  to  go,  feeling  it 
was  the  decision  of  the  Lord.  She  accepted  the  new  position, 
was  pleased,  and  often  declared  she  never  desired  to  return. 
The  old  business  in  less  than  three  years  decreased  so  that 
half  of  the  employes  were  discharged ;  the  rest  had  their  sal- 
aries reduced.  The  new  business  doubled  in  its  extent,  and 
her  salary  was  increased  one-fifth. 

Seeking  Guidance  of  the  Lord. 

A  school  teacher,  without  family  or  a  special  home,  in  New 
York  City,  asked  the  Lord  for  direction  in  finding  a  home, 
and  prayed  often  that  the  way  might  be  made  so  plain,  she 
might  acknowledge  His  hand,  and  understand  His  direction. 

Soon  it  transpired,  in  taking  lunch  at  a  restaurant  kept  by 
a  man  and  his  wife,  that  they  advised  her  to  choose  a  certain 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  301 

family  hotel.  She  did  so,  and  found  in  time  more  friends  and 
acquaintances,  and  a  pleasanter  home  than  she  ever  possessed 
before. 

She  also  gained  new  scholars  to  her  school.  Sufficient  to 
pay  for  her  living. 

Was  she  not  fully  answered  ?  "  They  that  seek  the  Lord 
shall  not  want  any  good  thing J^ 

Saved  from  Cholera. 

The  Rev.  J.  B.  Waterbury  relates  several  incidents  which 
prove  the  power  of  Prayer. 

"  In  the  year  1832  he  was  compelled  by  pulmonar}^  symp- 
toms, to  leave  his  field  of  ministerial  labor  in  one  of  the  east- 
ern cities,  and  travel  south,  hoping  that  a  milder  climate 
might  be  favorable. 

"  He  had  not  proceeded  far,  before  the  cholera,  that  fearful 
scourge,  made  its  appearance  in  the  States,  and  obliged  him 
to  rejoin  his  family  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn. 

'' Whilst  many  were  dying  around  him,  his  health  continued 
to  improve ;  so  that  with  the  disappearance  of  the  epidemic 
he  found  himself  sufficiently  restored  to  venture,  if  Provi- 
dence should  open  the  door,  to  resume  his  ministerial  work. 

"  But  where  should  he  go  ?  The  future,  to  human  view, 
was  shrouded  in  uncertainty.  In  so  important  a  matter,  af- 
fecting his  usefulness  and  happiness,  there  was  nothing  left, 
but  to  give  himself  to  prayer.  His  faith  in  that  promise, 
'  In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  Him,  and  He  will  direct  thy 
Paths,'  led  him  to  pray  without  ceasing,  '  Lord,  what  wilt  thou 
have  me  to  do.'  " 

On  a  certain  day,  when  the  burden  lay  heavily  upon  his 
heart,  he  retired  as  usual,  to  implore  light  and  guidance.  He 
read  on  that  occasion,  the  chapter  of  Acts  where,  by  divine 
direction,  Cornelius  the  Centurion  sent  messengers  to  Peter 
at  Joppa,  to  come  to  him  with  the  Gospel.  The  apostle, 
meanwhile,  is  instructed  by  a  vision  to  go  to  Cornelius. 


302  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

The  case  was  so  applicable  to  the  circumstances  that  the 
writer  was  led  to  cry  mightily  to  God  for  light  to  be  shed 
also  upon  his  path. 

While  thus  praying  the  door-bell  rang,  and  the  servant  an- 
nounced two  men  who  wished  to  see  me. 

This  was  somewhat  startling.  After  introducing  them- 
selves, they  remarked  that  they  had  come  on  a  very  important 
errand,  viz:  to  ask  my  services  for  a  vacant  church  in  which 
they  were  officers. 

^'But  how  is  this,"  I  inquired,  "How  did  you  know  of 
me?'' 

They  did  not  until  that  very  day.  But  inquiring  at  the 
Bible  House  in  Nassau  street  if  any  of  the  officers  of  that 
Society  knew  of  a  minister  who  could  be  recommended  to  fill 
their  pulpit,  now  vacant  for  some  months. 

Dr.  B.,  the  Secretary,  answered,  "Yes,  I  know  a  young 
minister  in  Brooklyn,  whom  I  can  recommend,  provided  his 
health,  which  has  been  delicate,  is  adequate." 

So  the  messenger  came  inadvertently  over  to  B ,  and 

I  was  called  from  my  knees  to  receive  their  invitation.  I 
promptly  responded,  "Yes,  I  will  go?  for  what  was  I  that  I 
could  withstand  God.  A  successful  and  happy  ministry  of 
fourteen  years,  attests  the  good  results  of  that  decision. 

The  Aid  of  the  Lord  in  Business  and  So- 
cial Prosperity.  The  Wonderful  Deliver- 
ance of  Daniel  Loest. 

John  Daniel  Loest,  a  celebrated  German  tradesman  of  Ber- 
lin, Germany,  was,  by  the  aid  of  the  Lord,  so  prospered  in  his 
worldly  circumstances,  that  by  steady  industry,  he  raised  him- 
self to  rank  with  the  most  respectable  tradesmen  of  Berlin, 
where  he  kept  a  well-frequented  fringe  and  trimming  shop. 

He  was  always  benevolent,  willing  to  help  others,  and  both 
fervent  in  spirit  and  constant  in  prayer,  asking  the  help  of 
the  Lord  in  the  minutest  details  of  his  business. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  303 

Yet  there  once  occurred  in  his  experience  a  season  of 
severest  trial,  which  demanded  his  utmost  trust  and  unflinch- 
ing confidence  in  God.  He  seemed  almost  forsaken,  and  cir- 
cumstances almost  impossible  to  overcome.  But  his  deliver- 
ance so  astonished  him  that  he  was  lost  in  wonder  at  the 
mysterious  way  in  which  the  Lord  helped  his  business  and 
sent  him  all  that  he  needed. 

By  means  of  acquaintances  of  high  social  character,  whom 
he  fully  trusted  as  good  Christians,  never  supposing  there 
could  be  any  degree  of  hypocrisy,  he  became  security  for  a 
Christian  lady  of  good  property  to  the  amount  of  six  hun- 
dred thalers.  The  attorney  assured  him  that  there  was  not  a 
shadow  of  a  risk  in  going  security  for  her,  as  her  property 
would  be  more  than  ample  to  cover  any  claim. 

Months  elapsed,  and  the  circumstance  forgotten,  when  Mr. 
Loest  was  most  unpleasantly  reminded  by  receiving  an  order 
from  the  Court  to  pay  in  on  the  following  Tuesday  the  six 
hundred  thalers  for  which  he  had  become  security,  under  the 
penalty  of  execution. 

He  now  discovered  that  he  had  been  designedly  mystified, 
and  there  was  no  escape.  The  six  hundred  thalers  must 
be  paid  before  the  next  Tuesday.  He  had  just  accepted  a 
bill  for  three  hundred  thalers j  to  be  paid  for  on  the  ensuing 
Saturday.  And  in  his  first  thoughts  of  his  perplexity,  he 
hoped  to  get  out  of  his  dilemma  by  hurrying  to  a  rich  friend 
to  obtain  a  loan.  On  his  way  to  his  friend's  home,  he  stum- 
bled on  another  acquaintance  who  had  lent  him  four  hundred 
thalers  on  a  mere  note  of  hand,  and  he  saluted  him  with  the 
news  that  he  must  try  for  repayment  of  that  sum  on  the  fol- 
lowing Friday,  as  he  required  it  to  pay  for  a  parcel  of  goods 
which  would  arrive  that  day. 

"  You  shall  have  it,"  said  Loest,  as  he  hurried  on  to  his 
friend.  The  friend  was  at  home,  but  before  Loest  could 
speak  his  errand,  he  is  addressed  thus:  "It  is  lucky  you 
came,  my  friend,  for  I  was  just  going  to  send  for  you,  to 
request  you  to  make  provision  to  pay  me  back  the  five  hwi' 


304  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

dred  thalers  you  owe  me,  for  I  must  needs  have  it  on  Wed- 
nesday to  pay  off  a  mortgage  on  my  house,  which  has  just 
been  called  up."  "Yoio  shall  have  it,^^  replied  Loest,  calmly, 
yet  his  heart  became  heavier  every  moment. 

Suddenly  it  occurred  to  him  that  the  widow  of  a  friend  just 
dead  was  possessed  of  large  means,  and  she  might  be  inclined 
to  help  him.  But  alas,  disappointment  thickened  fast  upon 
him.  Loest  owed  the  deceased  friend  five  hundred  thalers 
for  note,  and  three  hundred  thalers  for  goods  just  delivered. 
As  he  entered  the  room  of  the  widow,  she  handed  him  an 
order  from  the  court  of  trustees,  under  which  he  was  bound 
to  pay  up  the  jive  hundred  thalers  on  Thursday,  and,  con- 
tinued the  lady,  before  the  poor  man  had  time  to  utter  a  word, 
^'  I  would  earnestly  entreat  you  to  pay  the  other  three  hun- 
dred thalers  early  on  Saturday  to  me,  for  there  are  accounts 
constantly  pouring  in  on  me,  and  the  funeral  expenses,"  here 
her  voice  faltered.  "  It  shall  be  cared  for,"  said  Loest,  and 
he  withdrew,  not  having  had  opportunity  to  utter  one  word 
as  to  the  business  that  took  him  thither.  He  had  failed  at 
every  turn;  not  one  thing  was  for  him,  all  seemed  against 
him.  But  though  the  waves  surged,  and  rose,  and  oppressed, 
yet  they  did  not  overwhelm  his  hope  ;  the  more  the  discour- 
agements, the  greater  became  his  faith  that  all  things  were 
appointed  for  his  good,  and  thought  he  could  not  guess,  yet 
even  the  trial  would  result  by  God's  own  working  hand,  to 
the  honor  and  glory  of  his  great  name. 

Yet  here  was  his  situation.  Six  hundred  thalers  to  he  paid 
on  Tuesday,  five  hundred  on  Wednesday,  five  hundred  on 
Thursday,  four  hundred  on  Friday,  three  hundred  Saturday 
morning,  and  three  hundred  on  Saturday  afternoon ;  in  all, 
two  thousand  six  hundred  thalers.  It  was  already  the  Satur- 
day just  previous,  and  his  purse  contained  orAj  four  thalers. 
There  was  only  one  prospect  left,  and  he  went  to  a  rich  money 
lender,  and  in  response  to  his  request  for  relief  in  money  diffi- 
culties, was  met  with  this  reply  of  irony  and  sarcasm  from  one 
who  loved  to  indulge  his  enmity  to  the  Christian  faith.     ^^You 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  305 

in  money  difficulties,  or  any  difficulties,  Mr.  Loest !  I  cannot 
believe  it;  it  is  altogether  impossible/  you  are  at  all  times 
and  in  all  places  boasting  that  you  have  such  a  rich  and  lov- 
i7ig  Master !  Why  donH  you  apply  to  him  now.^^  And  the 
unseen  face  could  not  conceal  his  pleasure  at  this  opportunity 
of  testing  a  Christian. 

Loest  turned  away  ;  hard  as  the  random  taunt  and  remark 
of  his  opponent  was,  yet  it  recalled  him  to  a  sense  of  his  duty, 
and  his  forgetfulness  of  the  fact  that  he  had  not  hitherto 
asked  of  God  for  special  help  in  this  circumstance.  With 
cheerful  steps  he  hurried  home,  and  in  long  and  imploring 
prayer,  asked  for  help  and  forgiveness  in  this,  his  neglect 
of  trust  in  one  so  rich  and  generous.  He  was  refreshed 
and  comforted,  and  the  Sunday  was  one  of  peace  and  sweet- 
ness. He  knew  and  felt  assured,  ^^That  the  Lord  ivould  pro- 
vided 

The  eventful  week  opened,  and  on  Monday  he  arose  with 
a  cheerful  thought  in  his  heart;  ere  he  had  had  full  time  to 
dress,  he  noticed  with  great  surprise,  that  both  his  sister  and 
the  assistant  in  the  store,  seemed,  notwithstanding  the  earli- 
ness  of  the  hour,  to  have  full  as  much  as  they  could  do  in 
serving  customers  and  making  up  parcels,  and  he  at  once 
hastened  into  the  shop  to  give  them  assistance,  and  thus  it 
continued  all  day.  Never,  in  all  his  experience,  could  Loest 
remember  such  a  ceaseless  stream  of  customers  as  poured,  on 
that  memorable  Monday,  into  his  rather  out-of-the-way  shop. 
Cooking  dinner  was  out  of  the  question  ;  neither  masters  nor 
maid  had  time  for  that ;  coffee  and  bread,  taken  by  each  in 
turn,  served  instead  of  the  accustomed  meal,  and  still  the 
customers  came  and  went ;  still  three  pairs  of  hands  were  in 
requisition  to  satisfy  their  wants. 

Nor  was  it  for  new  purchasers  alone,  that  money  came  in. 
More  than  one  long  outstanding  account,  accompanied  by 
excuses  for  delayed  payment,  and  assurances  that  it  had  not 
been  possible  to  settle  it  sooner,  enlarged  the  contents  of  the 
till ;  and  the  honest-hearted  debtor,  on  whom  this  unwonted 
20 


306  ANSWEKS    TO    PRAYER. 

stream  of  money  flowed  in,  was  tempted  every  minute  to  call 
out,  ^^  It  is  the  Lordy 

At  length  night  came,  when  Loest  and  his  literally  worn 
out  assistants,  after  having  poured  out  their  hearts  in  thank- 
ful adoration  in  family  prayer,  sat  down  to  the  first  meal  they 
had  that  day  enjoyed  in  common.  When  it  was  over,  the 
brother  and  sister  set  themselves  to  count  over  the  money 
which  had  that  day  been  taken.  Each  hundred  thalers  was 
set  by  itself,  and  the  result  showed  six  hundred  and  three 
thalers^  fourteen  silver  groschen. 

This  was  sufficient  to  pay  the  first  debt  due  the  next  day, 
and  leave  but  ten  shillings  and  eight  pence  over,  a  trifle  less 
than  they  commenced  the  day  with.  Loest  was  lost  in  won- 
der and  grateful  emotion  at  this  gracious  testimony  of  how 
faithfully  his  Lord  could  minister  to  him  in  his  earthly 
necessities. 

"  How  countless  must  be  the  host  of  his  ministering  ser- 
vants, seen  or  unseen,  since  He  can  employ  some  hundreds 
of  them,  and  send  them  to  buy  of  Daniel  Loest  to-day,  or  pay 
him  that  bill  which  thou  owest.  What  a  wondrous  God  is 
ours,  who  in  the  government  of  this  great  universe,  does  not 
overlook  my  mean  affairs,  nor  forget  His  gracious  promise, 
•  Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble,  and  I  will  deliver  thee.' " 

Tuesday  was  a  repetition  of  Monday's  splendid  business, 
and  brought  in  the  five  hundred  thalers  which  he  needed  the 
next  morning  to  pay  off  the  mortgage  of  his  friend's  house, 
due  that  day. 

Wednesday's  sales  gave  him  five  hundred  more  thalers, 
which  he  was  obliged  to  have  ready  to  pay  on  Thursday  morn- 
ing into  the  court  of  trustees. 

Thursday's  sales  brought  him  four  hundred  thalers,  just 
the  amount  he  had  given  promise  to  pay  the  next  day  for 
goods  delivered. 

And  Friday's  sales  gave  him  just  three  hundred  thalers 
with  which  to  honor  the  widow's  demand  on  Saturday,  to  pay 
funeral  and  contingent  expenses. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  307 

During  these  days  of  wonderful  business  and  deliverances, 
after  each  indebtedness  was  discharged,  there  still  was  not 
left  cash  in  hand  a  sum  exceeding  three  to  five  dollars. 

On  Saturday  morning,  after  he  had  sent  the  three  hundred 
thalers  to  the  widow,  he  had  left  precisely  two  thalers  and 
twenty  silver  groschen  (six  shillings  eight  pence  sterling), 
the  smallest  balance  he  had  yet  had  ;  and  what  seemed  most 
alarming,  the  rush  to  the  shop  seemed  to  be  entirely  over ; 
for  while  during  the  five  days  past,  he  had  had  scarcely 
time  to  draw  his  breath  from  hurry  and  bustle,  he  was  now 
left  in  undisturbed  possession  of  his  place.  Not  a  single  cus- 
tomer appeared.  The  wants  of  the  vicinit}'"  seemed  to  have 
come  to  an  end,  for  not  a  child  even  entered  to  fetch  a  penny- 
worth of  thread,  or  a  few  ells  of  tape.  This  utter  cessation 
of  trade  was  as  unusual  and  out  of  the  accustomed  shop  busi- 
ness, as  the  extra  rush  had  been. 

At  five  o'clock  on  Saturday,  was  due  the  debt  of  three  hun- 
dred thalers  to  his  scoffing  and  tantalizing  money  lender. 
Three  o'clock  came,  and  still  there  was  but  six  shillings  eight 
pence  in  the  till.  Where  was  his  money  to  come  from  ?  But 
Loest  sat  still,  and  "possessed  his  soul  in  patience^''  for  he 
knew  the  Lord  would  choose  the  best  time,  and  he  desired  to 
be  found  waiting  and  watching  for  the  Lord's  coming.  The 
trial  was  severe.  It  seemed  hopeless,  and  if  it  should  happen 
that  the  creditor  came  and  went  away  unsatisfied,  his  com- 
mercial character  would  be  injured,  his  credit  shaken,  and  his 
reputation  severely  suffer.  That  last  hour  ran  slowly  on. 
At  a  quarter  to  four ^  almost  the  last  few  moments  of  painful 
suspense,  a  little  old  woman  came  in,  and  asking  for  Mr.  Loest, 
said  to  him  half  in  a  whisper,  "  I  live  here  close  by,  quite 
alone,  in  a  cellar,  and  I  have  had  a  few  thalers  paid  me,  and 
now  I  want  to  beg  of  you  to  be  so  good  as  to  keep  them  for 
me.  I  have  not  slept  over  night  since  I  had  them ;  it  is  a 
great  charge  for  a  lone  woman  like  me." 

Loest  was  only  too  glad  to  accept  the  money,  and  offered 
interest,  which  she  declined.     She  hurried  back,  brought  in 


308  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

her  money,  counted  it  out  on  his  table,  and  there  were  just 
three  hunderd  thaler s,  six  rouleaux  of  fifty  thalers  each. 

She  had  scarcely  left  the  house,  ivith  her  receij^t  in  her 
pocket,  ere  the  clerk  of  the  creditor  with  his  demaiid  in  his 
hand,  rushed  into  Loesfs  presence.  He  received  his  three 
hundred  thalers,  and  both  parted  speechless  with  amazement. 

Loest  was  lost  in  wonder  at  the  marvellous  way  and  exact- 
ness of  time  in  which  the  Lord  delivered  him,  while  the  cred- 
itor was  astonished  thus  to  find  Loest's  Mighty  Friend  had 
not  failed  him  in  his  hour  of  need. 

Thus  in  one  short  week,  from  a  beginning  of  less  than  five 
thalers,  God  had  so  exactly  supplied  his  business  needs  that 
he  had  paid  all  his  obligations  of  two  thousand  six  hundred 
thalers,  saved  him  from  failure,  saved  his  honor  and  good 
name,  and  now  all  was  peace. 

The  history  of  Loest  and  other  providences  which  helped 
him  in  his  business,  are  still  further  given  more  at  length  in 
a  little  book,  "  The  Believivg  Tradesman,''^  from  the  records 
of  the  Religious  Tract  Society  of  Berlin. 

This  sketch  illustrates  the  necessity  of  looking  to  God  daily 
for  help,  and  strength,  and  success,  and  deliverance  in  our 
business  occupations  as  well  as  the  concerns  of  our  soul,  and 
must  effectively  prove  that  those  who  use  their  business  and 
the  means  from  it  to  honor  the  good  works  of  the  Lord  on 
earth,  will  be  blessed  on  earth  with  the  favor  of  the  Lord. 
It  teaches  the  sublime  lesson  that  money  and  prosperity  are 
gifts  from  the  Lord,  and  must  be  considered  as  such,  acknowl- 
edged with  thankfulness,  and  used  to  please  the  Giver. 

Whenever  the  Christian  learns  to  love  the  gift  more  than 
the  Giver,  the  Lord  takes  it  often  away  to  remind  him  of  his 
need  of  dependence  upon  Him.  But  whenever  the  Christian 
loves  the  Giver  because  of  His  gifts,  and  spends  his  means 
again  to  please  his  Heavenly  Father,  he  becomes  the  Father's 
steward,  and  his  lap  is  filled  with  bountiful  blessings,  such 
as  one  finds  by  true  experience,  "  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd, 
I  shall  not  wantJ^ 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  309 

Spurgeon's  Prayer  for  Money. 

Charles  Spurgeon  relates  this  incident  connected  with  his 
ministry :  "  When  the  college,  of  which  I  am  President,  had 
been  commenced,  for  a  year  or  so  all  my  means  stayed;  my 
purse  was  dried  up,  and  I  had  no  other  means  of  carrying  it 
on.  In  this  very  house,  one  Sunday  evening,  I  had  paid  away 
all  I  had  for  the  support  of  my  young  men  for  the  ministry. 
There  is  a  dear  friend  now  sitting  behind  me  who  knows  the 
truth  of  what  I  am  saying.  I  said  to  him,  ''There  is  nothing 
left,  whatever.'  He  said,  '  You  have  a  good  banker,  sir.^ 
'Yes,'  I  said,  'and  I  should  like  to  draw  upon  him  now,  for 
I  have  nothing.'  '  Well,'  said  he,  '  how  do  you  know,  have 
you  prayed  about  it  ?  '  'Yes,  I  have.'  'Well,  then  leave  it 
with  Him;  have  you  opened  your  letters?'  'No,  I  do  not 
open  my  letters  on  Sundays.'  '  Well,'  said  he,  '  open  them 
for  once.'  I  did  so,  and  in  the  first  one  I  opened  there  was  a 
banker's  letter  to  this  effect :  '  Dear  Sir,  we  beg  to  inform  you 
that  a  lady,  totally  unknown  to  us,  has  left  with  us  two  hun- 
dred pounds  for  you  to  use  in  the  education  of  young  men.' 
Such  a  sum  has  never  come  since,  and  it  never  came  before ; 
and  I  have  no  more  idea  than  the  dead  in  their  graves  how  it 
came  then,  nor  from  whom  it  came,  but  to  me  it  seemed  that 
it  came  directly  from  God." 


The  Prayer  of  Latimer. 

The  praj^ers  of  the  martyr,  Latimer,  were  very  remarkable 
for  their  faith.  There  were  three  principal  matters  for  which 
he  prayed : 

1.  That  God  would  give  him  grace  to  stand  to  his  doctrine 
until  death. 

2.  That  God  would  of  His  mercy  restore  His  gospel  to 
England  once  again,  repeating  and  insisting  on  these  words 
"once  again,"  as  though  he  had  seen  God  before  him,  and 
spoke-n  to  Him  face  to  face. 


310  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

3.  That  God  would  preserve  Elizabeth ;  with  many  tears, 
desiring  God  to  make  her  a  comfort  to  this  comfortless  realm 
of  England.  All  these  requests  were  most  fully  and  gra- 
ciously answered. 

A  Mother's  Prayers  Answered. 

A  Christian  evangelist,  whose  work  has  been  most  singu- 
larly blessed,  related  this  incident,  how  once  in  the  days  of  his 
folly  and  sin,  while  as  yet  his  course  of  life  ran  counter  to  the 
fondest  wishes  and  prayers  of  his  mother's  heart,  he  one  day 
asked  her  the  strange  question,  whether  she  really  believed 
that  he  ever  would  be  converted  to  God.  And  her  answer, 
inexpressibly  touching  and  instructive,  as  being  the  answer 
of  ass2ired  faith,  which  could  see  as  yet  no  signs  of  the  com- 
ing of  what  it  so  anxiously  sought,  was, 

"  Yes,  I  believe  that  you  will  one  day  be  as  eminent  as  a 
Christian,  and  an  instrument  for  good,  as  you  have  been  emi- 
nent in  sin,  and  an  instrument  for  evil." 

In  later  years  the  evangelist  looked  back  with  admiration 
to  the  faith  of  his  mother,  and  thanked  the  Lord  for  His 
gracious  answer  to  her  prayers. 

How  the  Lord  Rescued  Him. 

A  wonderful  incident  is  told  by  Dr.  S.  I.  Prime  among  his 
many  facts  relating  to  prayer,  as  published  in  The  Observer 
and  "  The  Poiuer  of  FroAjer.^^ 

"  A  young  man  held  a  good  position  in  a  large  publishing 
house  in  this  city.  He  was  about  thirty  years  old,  a  married 
man,  and  happy  in  all  the  relations  of  life.  The  missionary 
of  the  church  knew  him  through  years  of  comfort  and  pros- 
perity. Years  passed  away,  and  there  came  a  dark  place  in 
his  life.  Intemperance,  of  the  most  depraved  kind,  made  his 
career  most  dreadful.  He  disappeared,  and  was  not  heard 
from  for  some  time.  He  separated  himself  from  his  family, 
and  from  all  good. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  311 

"  He  was  met  in  Boston  one  day  by  an  old  friend,  after 
long  years,  who  noticed  a  marked  difference  in  his  appearance. 
He  approached  him,  grasped  him  by  the  hand  and  said  : 

"  *  I  am  a  changed  man.  I  one  day  got  up  in  the  morning, 
after  a  night  of  wakefulness,  and  thinking  over  what  a  wretch 
I  had  become,  and  how  wretched  I  had  made  my  poor  wife 
and  children,  I  resolved  to  go  to  the  barn,  and  there  all  alone, 
to  pray  that  God  would  take  away  utterly  forever  my  accursed 
thirst  for  rum,  and  to  pray  till  I  felt  answered  that  my  prayer 
was  heard.  I  went  down  on  my  knees,  and  on  them  I  stayed 
until  I  had  asked  God  many  times  to  take  away  all  my  appe- 
tite for  rum  and  tobacco,  and  everything  else  which  was  dis- 
pleasing to  Him,  and  make  me  a  new  creature  in  Christ 
Jesus — a  holy,  devoted  Christian  man,  for  the  sake  of  Him 
who  died  for  sinners.  I  told  God  that  I  could  not  be  denied; 
I  could  not  get  up  from  my  knees  till  I  was  forgiven  and 
the  curse  was  forever  removed.  I  was  in  earnest  in  my 
prayer. 

'^  ^  I  was  on  my  knees  two  hours,  short  hours,  as  they 
seemed  to  me ;  two  blessed  hours,  for  I  arose  from  my  knees 
assured  that  all  of  the  dreadful  past  was  forgiven,  and  my 
sins  blotted  out  forever.  Oh !  I  tell  jon,  God  hears  prayer. 
God  has  made  me  a  happy  man.  I  left  all  my  appetite  in  the 
old  barn.  In  that  old  barn,  I  was  born  again.  Not  one 
twinge  of  the  old  appetite  has  ever  been  felt  since  then.' '' 

Jesus  Keeps  Me  from  Drinking. 

A  young  man  arose  in  the  Fulton  Street  prayer-meeting 
one  day,  and  detailed  his  struggles  and  triumphs  with  his 
appetites.  He  was  a  perfect  drunkard,  helpless,  poor;  his 
friends'  best  efforts  to  reclaim  him  were  of  no  avail.  The 
most  solemn  vows  that  he  had  ever  taken,  still  were  unable  to 
hold  him  up.  At  last  he  gave  himself  up  for  lost.  There 
seemed  no  hope  for  him,  and  in  his  despair  he  wandered 
away  to  the  ocean  shore.     He  met  a  young  man  who  showed 


312  ANSWERS    TO   PRAYER. 

him  a  good  many  favors,  and  to  whom  he  offered  a  drink  from 
his  flask  of  liquor. 

"  '  No,'  said  he,  '  I  never  drink  intoxicating  drink,  and  I 
ask  the  Lord  Jesus  to  help  me  never  to  touch  it/ 

"  I  looked  at  him  with  surprise,  and  inquired,  'Are  you  a 
Christian  ? '  . 

** '  Yes,  I  trust  I  am,'  he  answered. 

" '  Knd  does  Jesus  keep  you  from  drinking  intoxicating 
liquor  ? ' 

"  ^  He  doeSf  and  I  never  wish  to  touch  it.' 

"  That  short  answer  set  me  to  thinking.  In  it  was  re- 
vealed a  new  power.  I  went  home  that  night  and  said  to 
myself,  as  I  went,  'How  do  1  know  but  Christ  would  keep  me 
from  drinking  if  I  would  ask  him  ? ' 

"  When  I  got  to  my  room,  I  thought  over  my  whole  case, 
and  then  I  knelt  down  and  told  Jesus  what  a  poor,  miserable 
wretch  I  was ;  how  I  had  struggled  against  my  appetite,  and 
had  always  been  overcome  by  it.  I  told  Him  if  he  would  take 
the  appetite  away  I  would  give  myself  up  to  Him  to  be  his 
forever,  and  I  would  forever  love  and  serve  Him.  I  told  Him 
that  I  felt  assured  that  He  could  help  me,  and  that  He  would. 

"Now  I  stand  here,  and  I  tell  you  all  most  solemnly,  that 
Jesus  took  me  at  my  ivord.  He  did  take  away  my  appetite 
then  and  there,  so  that,  from  that  sacred  moment  of  casting 
myself  on  his  help,  I  have  not  tasted  a  drop  of  liquor,  nor 
desired  to  taste  it.      The  old  appetite  is  gone. 

''  The  last  two  weeks  have  been  rich  experience  of  Divine 
goodness  and  grace." 

Mr.  Moody's  Faith  in  Prayer.    A  Remark- 
able Answer. 

Mr.  Moody,  on  his  return  from  England,  while  conducting 
a  prayer-meeting  in  Northfield,  Mass.,  gave  this  illustration 
of  the  power  of  prayer  to  subdue  the  most  unlikely  cases  of 
sin  and  unbelief : 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  313 

"  There  is  not  a  heart  so  hard  that  God  cannot  touch  it. 
While  in  Edinburgh,  a  man  was  pointed  out  to  me  by  a  friend 
who  said,  '  Moody,  that  man  is  chairman  of  the  Edinburgh 
infidel  club.'  So  I  went  and  sat  down  beside  him,  and  said, 
'  Well,  my  friend,  I  am  glad  to  see  you  at  this  meeting.  Are 
you  not  concerned  about  your  welfare  ? '  He  said  that  he 
did  not  believe  in  a  hereafter.  I  said,  'Well,  you  just  get 
down  on  your  knees  and  let  me  pray  for  you.' 

"  'I  don't  believe  in  prayei\'' 

"I  tried  unsuccessfully  to  get  the  man  down  on  his  knees, 
and  finally  knelt  down  beside  him  and  prayed  for  him.  Well, 
he  made  a  good  deal  of  sport  over  it,  and  I  met  him  again 
many  times  in  Edinburgh  after  that.  A  year  ago  last  month, 
while  in  the  north  of  Scotland,  I  met  the  man  again.  Plac- 
ing my  hand  on  his  shoulder,  I  asked,  'Hasn't  God  answered 
the  prayer  ? ' 

*'  He  replied,  '  There  is  no  God.  I  am  just  the  same  as  I 
always  have  been.  If  you  believe  in  a  God,  and  in  answei 
to  prayer,  do  as  I  told  you.     Try  your  hand  on  me.' 

''  ^Well,'  I  said,  'God's  time  will  come;  there  are  a  great 
many  praying  for  you ;  and  I  have  faith  to  believe  you  are 
going  to  be  blessed.' 

"  Six  months  ago  I  was  in  Liverpool,  and  there  I  got  a 
letter  from  the  leading  barrister  of  Edinburgh,  telling  me 
that  my  friend,  the  infidel,  had  come  to  Christ,  and  that  of 
his  club  of  thirty  men  seventeen  had  followed  his  example. 

"  How  it  happened  he  could  not  say,  but  whereas  he  was 
once  blind,  now  he  could  see.  God  has  answered  the  prayer. 
*/  didnH  know  hoiv  it  was  to  he  answered,'  said  Mr.  Moody, 
^but  I  believed  it  would  be  and  it  was  done.  What  we  want 
to  do  is  to  come  boldly  to  God' ". 


314  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

The  Wonders  of  a  Single  Prayer. 

The  Kev.  Dr.  Edwin  F.  Hatfield,  of  New  York  City,  well 
known  and  eminent  among  the  clergymen  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  is  personally  acquainted  with  the  following  instance 
of  a  remarkable  case  in  answer  to  prayer.  From  the  mother 
of  the  daughter  he  obtained  this  statement,  which  has  been 
published  by  Dr.  Patton,  of  Chicago,  in  his  volume,  ^'On 
Prayer." 

"My  daughter  was  for  fourteen  months  afflicted  with  hip 
disease.  It  was  brought  on  by  a  fall,  and  a  consequent  dislo- 
cation, when  she  was  eight  years  of  age. 

"  Her  right  side  was  paralyzed,  and  she  had  an  abscess.  I 
placed  her  in  a  hospital,  under  the  care  of  good  nurses,  and 
the  very  best  medical  advice. 

"Everything  possible  was  done  for  her,  but  all  to  no  avail; 
she  grew  worse  instead  of  better,  and  the  doctors  directed  me, 
as  there  was  no  hope  for  her,  to  take  her  home  to  die. 

"But  I  did  not  cease  to  hope.  I  did  as  the  doctors  direct- 
ed, but  continued  to  pray  the  prayer  of  faith  for  her  recovery 
for  two  weeks.  One  morning,  at  the  end  of  this  period,  we 
were  conversing  together  about  the  wonderful  cures  wrought 
by  the  Savior,  when  on  earth,  and  particularly  that  of  the 
man  at  the  pool  of  Bethesda. 

"In  the  midst  of  our  conversation,  my  daughter  rose  to  ob- 
tain a  drink  of  water,  when  she  exclaimed,  ^ Mother^  I  can 
tvalk.^  'Thanks  be  to  God!'  said  I,  'Gome,  and  let  me  see 
you!' 

"  Her  crutches,  the  only  means  by  w^hicli  she  could  move 
about,  before,  were  now  useless.  Upon  examination,  I  found 
that  the  abscess  had  entirely  disappeared,  and  that  the  para- 
lyzed limb  was  restored  whole,  like  the  other. 

"She  was  again  dangerously  ill,  five  months  afterward.  I 
prayed  for  her  recovery  one  night,  before  retiring,  and  the 
next  morning  she  arose,  perfectly  cured." 

She  is  now  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  during  all  this 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  315 

intervening  time  has  been  free  from  any  trouble  of  this  kind. 
To-day  she  is  as  well  as  any  one,  working  and  running  about' 
without  the  slightest  trouble." 

The  Tavern  Keeper  Overcome. 

Rev.  Charles  G.  Finney  relates,  in  his  "  Spirit  of  Prayer," 
of  an  acquaintance  of  his  whose  faith  and  importunity  in 
prayer  and  the  answer  were  very  remarkable  : 

''  In  a  town  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
where  there  was  a  revival,  there  was  a  certain  individual,  who 
was  a  most  violent  and  outrageous  opposer.  He  kept  a 
tavern,  and  used  to  delight  in  swearing  at  a  desperate  rate, 
whenever  there  were  Christians  within  hearing,  on  purpose 
to  hurt  their  feelings.  He  was  so  bad,  that  one  man  said 
he  believed  he  should  have  to  sell  his  place  or  give  it  away, 
and  move  out  of  town,  for  he  could  not  live  near  a  man  that 
swore  so. 

^'  This  good  man  of  faith  and  prayer  that  I  have  spoken  of, 
was  passing  through  the  town  and  heard  the  case,  and  was 
very  much  grieved  and  distressed  for  the  individual.  He 
took  him  on  his  praying  list.  The  case  weighed  on  his  mind 
when  he  was  asleep,  and  when  he  was  awake.  He  kept  think- 
ing about  him,  and  praying  for  him,  for  days  ;  and  the  first 
we  knew  of  it,  this  ungodly  man  came  into  a  meeting,  and  got 
up  and  confessed  his  sins,  and  poured  out  his  soul.  His  bar- 
room immediately  became  the  place  where  they  held  prayer- 
meetings." 

Victories  over  Bad  Habits,  Tobacco, 
Opium,  etc. 

The  Rev.  W.  H.  Boole,  a  city  missionary  in  New  York 
City,  has  been  witness  in  his  ministries,  of  many  cases  of 
complete  deliverance  from  bad  habits,  and  aj^petites,  solely 
by  believing  prayer.     Many  are  contained  in  a  little  tract 


316  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

written  by  him,  "  The  Wonder  of  Grace."  He  gives  a  few 
of  these  incidents : 

"  One  is  an  officer  in  a  church  in  New  York,  who  had  used 
tobacco  for  forty  years,  making  during  that  time  many  efforts 
to  abandon  the  practice,  but  always  failing  because  of  the 
resultant  inward  growing.  But  he  was  brought  to  an  act  of 
specific  faith  in  Jesus,  to  save  him  from  the  appetite,  and  now, 
after  several  years,  he  testifies,  '  From  that  hour  all  desire 
left  me,  and  I  have  ever  since  hated,  what  I  once  so  fondly 
loved.' " 

''  Another  is  of  a  prominent  church  member  in  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  who  had  used  tobacco  for  thirty  years,  and  could  not 
endure  to  be  without  a  cigar  in  his  mouth,  and  sometimes 
even  rose  and  smoked  in  the  night ;  after  many  failures  to 
overcome  the  habit,  one  night  when  alone,  he  cast  himself 
on  his  Savior  for  just  this  victory ;  and  from  that  hour  was 
delivered  from  the  desire  as  w^ell  as  from  the  outward  act,  and 
now  wonders  that  he  ever  loved  the  filthy  practice." 

"  A  certain  old  lady,  who  lived  near  Westbrook,  Conn., 
aged  seventy,  was  a  confirmed  opium  eater,  and  used  daily, 
an  amount  sufficient  to  kill  twenty  persons.  She  was  led  to 
see  that  the  habit  was  a  sin  ;  and  as  such,  she  abandoned  it, 
with  specific  application  to  Christ  to  save  her  from  it.  She 
w^as  heard,  and  lived  for  two  years  afterward,  free  from  any 
desire  for  that  drug." 

"  A  similar  case  was  that  of  a  carpenter,  in  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  who,  from  taking  morphine  to  allay  the  pain  of  a  frac- 
tured leg,  fell  into  its  habitual  use,  till  he  almost  lived  upon 
it  for  several  years  after  his  recovery.  He  once  swallowed,  in 
the  presence  of  several  physicians,  a  dose  which  it  was  calcu- 
lated would  destroy  the  lives  of  two  hundred  ordinary  men. 
Not  long  since,  he  was  made  to  look  at  this  as  a  sin,  and  tried 
to  break  off  the  habit,  abstaining,  with  an  alarming  reaction, 
till  five  physicians  declared  that  death  would  ensue,  if  he  did 
not  resume  it.  This  he  did  for  a  year  ;  but  then  on  a  certain 
Sunday  evening,  broke  off  again,  casting  himself  by  faith  on 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  31J 

Christ,  from  which  moment  the  desire  left  him,  and  has  never 
returned,  and  he  has  experienced  no  reaction  or  other  ill 
effect,  but  has  greatly  improved  in  health." 

Mrs.  Whitney's  Cnre  in  Answer  to 
Prayer. 

Mrs.  C.  S.  Whitney  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  a  lady  well  known 
for  her  Christian  work  among  the  poor,  thus  gives  in  a  letter 
to  Dr.  Patton,  her  personal  testimony  of  the  efficacy  of  prayer: 

"  Three  years  ago,  I  was  healed  of  a  bodily  disease.     I  had 
been  troubled  from  my  birth  with  canker,  and  at  times  suffered 
greatly.     I  had  consulted  some  of  the  best  physicians  in  the 
land,  and  had  been  treated  by  the  most  skillful.     My  case  was 
said  to  be  incurable.      When  I  learned  to  trust  Christ  for 
everything,  I    applied   to  Him  for   healing.      My  husband 
joined  with  me  in  this  prayer  for  three  weeks ;  but  all  the 
time  I  was  growing  worse.     I  then  prayed  for  entire  submis- 
sion.    About  the  first  of  October,  1872,  my  stomach,  throat 
and  mouth  were  so  cankered,  I  could  scarcely  eat  anything. 
One  day,  I  took  up  the  little  book  entitled,    'Dorothea  Tru- 
del ; '    and  while  reading,  I  seemed  to  hear  a  voice  saying 
unto  me,   'All  things  are  possible  unto  him  that  helieveth.^ 
'According  to  thy  faith  be  it  unto  thee.'     I  claimed  the  faith, 
and  immediately  asked  God  to  heal  me,  and  in  His  own  way. 
While  yet  on  my  knees,  it  seemed  very  clear  to  me  that  I 
should  go  to  Boston,  and  ask  Doctor  Cullis  to  pray  with  me. 
I  obeyed  that  leading,  and  made  preparations  to  go  the  day 
following.      Just  as   I   was  ready  to  start  for  the   depot,   I 
realized  that  I  was  cured.     An  entire  change  was  wrought  in 
my  system,  and  my  soul  was  filled  with  joy  and  gratitude." 

President  Finney's  Prayer  for  Rain. 

The  following  incident  of  the  prayer  of  President  Pinney 
for  rain,  and  its  immediate  answer,  is  furnished  by  Professor 
Cowles,  the  intimate  friend  of  President  Pinney : 


318  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

"Somewhat  more  than  twenty  years  ago,  the  village  of 
Oberlin  and  its  adjacent  country  along  the  lake  shore,  suffered 
severely  through  the  hot  season  from  a  total  failure  of  rain, 
for  nearly  three  months.  Clouds  that  seemed  to  promise 
rain  were  repelled  from  the  heated  dry  atmosphere  over  the 
land,  and  attracted  by  the  more  moist  atmosphere  over  the 
lake,  to  pour  out  their  waters  there.  On  one  such  occasion, 
the  clouds  had  gathered  dark,  low,  and  heavy  over  the  lakes, 
and  lay  there  wdth  no  particular  indication  of  rising.  Presi- 
dent Finney  walked  out  with  his  eye  on  these  clouds.  I  give 
the  sequel  in  his  own  words,  as  they  fell  from  his  lips,  less 
than  three  months  since  : 

"  ^  In  this  walk  I  met  Ralph,  who  turned  sharply  upon  me. 
'  Mr.  Finney,  I  should  like  to  know  what  you  mean  in 
preaching  that  God  is  always  wise  and  alwa3^g  good,  when  you 
see  him  pouring  out  that  great  rain  upon  the  lake,  where  it 
can  do  no  good,  and  leaving  us  to  suffer  so  terribly  for  the 
want  of  that  wasted  water  ?  ' 

" '  His  words  cut  me  to  the  heart ;  I  turned,  and  ran  home 
to  my  closet,  fell  on  my  knees,  and  told  the  Lord  what  Kalph 
had  been  saying  about  Him  ;  and  besought  Him,  for  the 
honor  of  His  great  name,  to  confound  this  caviler,  and  show 
forth  the  glory  of  His  power  and  the  greatness  of  His  love. 
I  pleaded  with  Him  that  He  had  encouraged  His  people  to 
pray  for  rain,  and  that  now  the  time  seemed  to  have  come  for 
Him  to  show  His  power  in  this  thing,  and  His  faithfulness 
as  a  hearer  of  prayer. 

"  '  Before  I  rose  from  my  knees,  there  was  a  sound  of  a 
rushing,  mighty  wind.  I  looked  out,  and  lo !  the  heavens 
were  black ;  that  cloud  was  rolling  up,  and  soon  the  rain  fell 
in  torrents,  two  full  hours.' 

"  The  writer,  (Professor  Cowles,)  himself  remembers  how 
that  cloud  lay  over  the  lake ;  how  it  drove  him,  also,  to  his 
closet ;  and  that  soon  and  signally  the  prayers  of  that  hour 
came  back  to  us  in  mighty  rain." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  319 

Luther's  Mighty  Prayer  and  Prophecy. 

At  one  time  in  the  life  of  Luther,  there  was  a  critical 
moment  in  the  affairs  of  the  K-eformation.  Bitter  persecution 
prevailed  with  extraordinary  power,  and  threatened  every 
one.  They  were  the  dark  days  when  faith  could  only  cling. 
There  were  but  few  friends  to  the  reformers,  and  these  were 
of  little  strength.  Their  enemies  were  every  where  strong, 
proud,  arrogant.  But  Luther  relied  on  his  God,  and  at  this 
moment,  with  his  favorite  hymn  in  his  heart,  'L4.  stronr/  for- 
tress is  our  God,^^  he  went  to  the  Lord  in  prayer,  and  prayed 
that  omnipotence  would  come  to  the  help  of  their  weakness. 
Long  he  wrestled  alone  with  God  in  his  closet,  till  like  Jacob 
he  prevailed.  Then  he  went  into  the  room,  where  his  family 
had  assembled,  with  joyous  heart  and  shining  face,  and  rais- 
ing both  hands,  and  lifting  his  eyes  heavenward,  exclaimed, 
"  We  have  overcome,  we  have  overcome.''^ 

This  was  astonishing,  as  there  was  not  the  slightest  of 
news  which  had  yet  been  heard  to  give  them  hope  of  relief. 
But  immediately  after  that,  the  welcome  tidings  came  that 
the  Emperor,  Charles  V.,  had  issued  his  Proclamation  of 
"Heligious  Toleration  in  Germany.^^  In  Luther's  prayer 
was  fulfilled  the  remarkable  promise  of  Proverbs,  21 :  1. 
"TAe  king^s  heart  is  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  as  the  rivers  of 
water  ;  he  turneth  it  whithersoever  he  will^ 

John  Knox  and  his  Prophetical  Prayer. 

"John  Knox  was  famous  for  his  earnest  prayers.  Queen 
Mary  said  that  she  feared  his  prayers  more  than  she  did  all 
the  armies  of  Europe.  One  night,  in  the  days  of  his  bitterest 
persecution,  while  he  and  his  friends  were  praying  together, 
Knox  spoke  out,  and  declared  that  deliverance  has  conic.  He 
could  not  tell  how.  Immediately  the  news  came  tk'*'l'  Q%{f^n 
Mary  was  deadP 


320  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Melancthon's  Life  saved  from  Death,  in 
Answer  to  Luther's  Prayer. 

The  most  powerful  tribute  to  the  efficacy  of  prayer,  was 
the  answer  to  Luther's  prayer  which  the  Lord  sent.  A  mes- 
senger was  sent  to  Luther  that  Melancthon  was  dying.  He 
found  him  presenting  the  usual  premonitory  symptoms  of 
death.  Melancthon  roused,  looked  in  the  face  of  Luther,  and 
said,  "  0  Luther,  is  this  you  ?  Why  don't  you  let  me  depart 
in  peace."  ''We  canH  spare  you  yet,  Philip,^^  was  the  reply, 
and  turning  around,  he  threw  himself  upon  his  knees,  and 
wrestled  with  God  for  his  recovery  for  upwards  of  an  hour. 
He  went  from  his  knees  to  the  bed,  and  took  his  friend  by  the 
hand ;  again  he  said,  ''  Dear  Luther,  why  don't  you  let  me 
depart  in  peace  ?  "  "  No,  no,  Philip  ;  we  can  not  spare  you 
yet,"  was  the  reply.  He  then  ordered  some  soup,  and  when 
pressed  to  take  it,  Melancthon  declined,  again  saying,  ''  Dear 
Luther,  why  will  you  not  let  me  go  home  and  be  at  rest." 
''  We  can  not  spare  you  yet,  Philip,"  was  the  reply.  He 
then  added,  "  Philip,  take  this  soup,  or  I  will  excommunicate 
you."  He  took  the  soup,  regained  his  wonted  health,  and 
labored  for  years  afterwards  in  the  cause  of  the  Peformation  ; 
and  when  Luther  returned  home  he  said  to  his  wife  with  joy, 
"  God  gave  me  my  brother  Melancthon  back  in  direct  answer 
to  prayer." 

In  this  incident  is  given  this  extraordinary  statement  that 
while  death  has  really  seized  a  man,  who  too  wished  to  die, 
and  did  not  want  to  live  longer  on  the  earth,  yet  his  life  was 
given  back  to  him  again  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  faith  of 
another. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  321 

The  Wonderful  Power  of  Faith,  and  Trust 

in  the  Lord  to  deliver  wholly  from 

Bad  Habits. 

A  victim  of  licentiousness  and  sensuousness,  who  often, 
amid  his  sinful  pleasures,  had  the  memory  of  Christian 
parents  before  him,  felt  his  was  indeed  a  life  of  shame. 
But  the  downward  steps  had  destroyed  his  will,  his  self-con- 
trol, his  manliness,  his  virtue.  He  had  no  power  to  resist, 
all  was  wickedness,  irresolution,  constant  yielding.  In  vain 
he  hung  back,  and  tried  to  save  himself  from  the  cursed  appe- 
tite ;  at  last  he  realized  that  in  a  few  weeks'  time  he  must  go 
to  the  grave;  strength  could  not  stand  such  a  waste  of  life. 
"What  a  miserable  life.  What  wicked  ways,  what  wicked 
thoughts ;  how  I  wish  I  was  pure  ;  0,  that  I  might  get  free  ; 
I  do  not  love  this  sin  any  more,  T  don't  want  it,  but  I  can't 
stop  it.     0,  I  wish  I  could  be  a  Christian,  and  wholly  free." 

Such  were  his  constant  thoughts.  In  mercy,  the  Lord  who 
had  been  reading  his  thoughts,  sent  him  a  great  reverse  in 
business,  and  in  agony  of  heart,  he  knew  not  where  to  turn 
but  to  the  Lord,  and  pray  for  relief.  His  prayer,  too,  asked 
to  be  emancipated  from  his  wickedness,  and  his  strength  and 
health  restored.  ^^Lord,  save  me  and  I iv'ill  be  thine  forever. 
I  am  lost  unless  thou  wilt  come  and  save." 

By  gradual  degrees,  in  the  absorption  of  his  thoughts  over 
other  distresses,  his  mind  was  diverted  from  his  usual  ways 
and  thoughts  of  sinful  living ;  gradually  the  habits  of  lust 
grew  less  and  less  strong,  and  finally  ceased  altogether.  But 
the  body  still  remained  under  excessive  weakness.  But  faith 
that  the  Lord  who  had  saved  others,  could  save  him  too,  led 
him  to  pray,  not  only  for  the  destruction  of  the  habit,  but 
entire  recovery  from  its  evil  effects.  His  perseverance  was 
persistent,  and  met  with  a  triumphant  reward.  After  a  long 
time,  he  felt  himself  wholly  healed.  New  strength,  new  life, 
came  back  to  him.  "  It  seems  as  if  my  life  had  been  pu<; 
back  again  ten  years,  and  I  was  young  again."  "  I  nev*w 
21 


322  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

have  any  more  wicked  thoughts  or  imaginations,  while  I  was 
once  full  of  them.  Since  1  learned  to  seek  the  Lord  and  love 
his  Bible,  I  have  never  had  such  peace,  or  purity.  I  love  the 
name  and  tender  mercies  of  my  God."  If  in  a  few  months, 
prayer  saved  that  man's  life,  and  so  wholly  changed  it  from  a 
foul  blot  to  a  thing  of  purity,  what  can  it  not  do  again.  No 
8171  can  ever  he  conquered  until  in  liuniility  either  saint  or 
sinner  gets  down  upon  his  knees,  and  implores  the  love  and 
power  of  the  Lord  in  never  ceasiiig  prayer,  to  wholly  emanci- 
pate him  from  the  control  of  the  evil  habit.  The  Lord  trill 
surely  hear  it.  He  can  as  truly  deliver  the  body  from  the 
most  persistent  and  enchaining  habit,  as  he  can  wholly  con- 
vert the  mind  and  heart.  The  result  is  not  always  instanta- 
neous ;  more  often  gradual,  but  always  sure  if  the  sufferer 
always  prays. 

It  is  simple  enough  for  the  sinning  one  to  believe  that  the 
Lo7xl  can,  and  seeking  the  Bible  for  the  Lord^s  oivn  promis 
that  he  will ;  to  cling  to  it  and  never  suri^ender. 

The  sin  may  be  repeated  when  you  can  not  resist  it,  ar '' 
do  not  desire  for  it,  but  take  all  pains  to  avoid ;  still  pray 
though  you  often  fail ;  still  try,  still  trust  the  Lord  to  loose 
your  chains  and  remove  your  desire,  and  deliverance  is  sure 
to  come  at  last. 

Recovery  from  Paralysis. 

"Between  two  and  three  years  ago,  the  writer  was  struck 
down  by  paralysis,  disabling  entirely  the  limbs  of  the  left 
side.  In  this  apparently  helpless  state,  I  employed  a  man  to 
take  care  of  me,  and  felt  that  unless  God  should  interpose,  I 
must  be  a  continuous  burden  on  my  friends.  My  kind  physi- 
cian gave  me  no  hope  of  entire  recovery. 

"  In  this  state  I  made  my  prayer  to  God  continually,  that  he 
would  so  far  restore  my  strength  as  to  enable  me  to  take  care 
of  myself. 

**  This  prayer  he  was  pleased  to  answer,  for  in  eight  weeks 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYEK.  323 

I  dismissed  my  attendant,  finding  myself  able  to  take  care  of 
myself.  I  now  walk  more  than  half  a  mile  each  day,  and 
attend  to  all  the  associations  of  home  life.  I  record  with 
thankfulness  this  restoration  of  my  disabled  frame  in  an- 
swer to  prayer.'^ 

The  Stolen  Bonds  Returned. 

The  New  York  Observer  relates  a  remarkable  instance  of 
the  return  of  stolen  property,  which  in  its  extraordinary  way 
can  be  accounted  for  only  by  the  control  of  a  Supreme  Will, 
and  all  in  answer  to  prayer. 

"On  February  16,  1877,  United  States  and  railroad  bonds 
and  mortgages  to  the  amount  of  $160,000,  belonging  to  Edgar 
H.  Richards,  were  stolen  from  the  banking  house  of  James 
Cr.  King's  Sons,  of  this  city.  Ko  clue  whatever  to  the  rob- 
bers  could  be  obtained.  Several  parties  were  arrested  on  sus- 
picion, but  nothing  could  be  proved,  and  the  mystery  remained 
unsolved. 

^  "Mr.  Richards,  being  a  member  of  one  of  our  most  prom- 
inent churches,  made  it  a  subject  of  constant  prayer,  that  the 
Lord  would  wholly  prevent  the  thieves  from  any  use  of  the 
property  and  cause  it  to  be  returned  to  him.  When  asked 
If  he  was  ever  incredulous,  he  said,  '  No,  I  have  never  lost  my 
faith  m  recovering  this  property.  I  believe  in  prayer,  and  I 
have  made  it  from  the  first  a  subject  of  prayer,  and  it  will  be 
answered.' 

"  Meanwhile  some  curious  influences  must  have  been  at  work 
among  the  thieves,  for  they  acted  in  an  extraordinary  manner 

as  lollows  : 

_  "One  day  last  week  a  stranger,  well  dressed,  modest  look- 
mg,  gentlemanly,  walked  into  the  office  of  Elliott  F.  Shepard 
Esq  one  of  Messrs.  King's  counsel,  and  tendered  his  services 
for  the  recovery  of  the  property,  asserting  he  knew  nothin. 
about  the  robbery,  nor  the  thieves,  but  that  he  could  get  the 
treasure.     He  was  told  that  a  reward  would  be  paid  for  the 


324  ANSWERS    TO    I>RAYER. 

capture  of  the  thieves,  but  he  earnestly  protested  that  it  was 
entirely  out  of  his  power  to  obtain  any  clue  to  the  person  or 
whereabouts  of  the  thief  ;  and  no  inquiries  ever  disclosed  that 
this  was  not  a  perfectly  true  statement.  Indeed,  it  proved 
that  he  had  been  selected  as  an  agent  to  do  this  work,  and 
that  there  were  at  least  five  or  six  connecting  intermediaries 
between  him  and  the  robbers,  each  exercising  that  virtue 
which  is  called  honer  among  thieves,  and  which  on  this  occa- 
sion proved  a  wall  of  adamant  to  every  attempt  to  pierce  it  or 
break  it  down. 

"  True  to  his  word  the  stranger  caused  the  delivery  at  Mr. 
Shepard's  office,  at  the  appointed  hour  to  a  second,  of  an  ordi- 
nary pasteboard  bandbox,  wrapped  in  newspaper,  by  the 
hands  of  a  little  boy.  He  had  come  in  a  pelting  rain-storm, 
and  part  of  the  newspaper  had  become  torn,  and  disclosed  the 
blue,  unsuspected  hat  box.  The  boy  knew  nothing  about  it, 
except  that  a  gentleman  had  given  him  a  dime  in  the  street 
to  bring  the  box. 

"  Mr.  Kichards  being  present,  opened  the  bandbox,  exam- 
ined and  checked  off  the  contents  with  one  of  Messrs.  King's 
head  clerks,  and  found  every  single  item  of  his  missing  secu- 
rities, stocks,  bonds,  mortgages,  accounts,  bank  books,  wills, 
everything.  A  most  remarkable  thing !  The  parties  could 
hardly  believe  their  eyes." 

Mr.  Moody's  Answers  to  Prayers. 

Mr.  D.  L.  Moody,  the  Evangelist,  when  a  boy,  was  pos- 
sessed of  an  unusual  amount  of  muscular  strength  and  ani- 
mal spirits,  and  a  strong  will  that  knew  little  of  impossibilit}' 
or  submission.  When  only  six  years  old,  being  wistful  to  do 
something  to  help  his  mother,  he  was  set  to  drive  the  cows 
of  a  neighboring  farmer  to  and  from  their  mountain  pasture. 
On  one  occasion,  a  heavy  fence  fell  upon  him  from  which  he 
could  not  extricate  himself.  After  trying  his  utmost  and 
crying  as  loud  as  he  could  for  help,  but  in  vain,  the  thought 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  325 

struck  him  that  God  would  help  him  if  he  asked  him.  In 
his  own  simple  language  he  prayed  to  his  mother's  God  for 
help,  and  made  another  effort,  and  succeeded  in  getting  free. 
This,  his  first  answer  to  prayer,  made  a  vivid  impression 
on  his  heart,  which  gave  a  decided  turn  to  his  opening  life. 

No  Flour  in  the  House— In  the  days  of 
Famine,  his  Soul  shall  be  Satisfied. 

Mr.  Moody's  domestic  life  has  always  been  a  happy  one, 
but  in  the  early  days  of  his  marriage,  he  was  very  poor,  and 
his  faith  was  often  put  to  the  severest  tests. 

One  day,  on  leaving  home  in  his  missionary  work  and 
labors  of  love,  he  remarked  to  his  wife,  "  I  have  no  money, 
and  the  house  is  without  supplies.  It  looks  dark  ;  is  it  pos- 
sible that  the  Lord  has  had  enough  of  me  in  this  mission 
work,  and  is  going  to  send  me  back  again  to  sell  boots  and 
shoes."  But  he  prayed.  In  a  day  or  two,  a  stranger  sent 
him  two  checks  of  $50  each — one  for  himself,  and  one  for  his 
school. 

On  another  occasion  his  wife  informed  him  that  they  had 
no  flour  for  the  day's  use,  and  asked  him  to  order  some  on  his 
way.  Having  no  money  in  his  possession,  he  was  perplexed 
how  to  proceed  to  raise  the  required  amount;  but  meeting  a 
person  in  whose  spiritual  welfare  he  was  concerned,  he  forgot 
all  about  such  sublunary  considerations  as  money  and  flour, 
and  went  heart  and  soul  into  the  Lord's  work  before  him. 

On  his  return  home  at  night,  he  felt  somewhat  nervous 
about  his  reception  on  account  of  his  not  having  sent  the 
flour,  but  to  his  joyful  surprise,  he  found  that  on  his  arrival 
the  table  was  spread  with  a  bountiful  repast. 

It  seems  that  a  friend  of  his  was  powerfully  impressed  that 
morning,  and  without  seeing  the  family  or  knowing  anything 
about  their  need,  had  packed  up  a  barrel  of  flour  and  sent  it. 

Others  of  his  friends,  who  were  interested  in  his  work,  and 
felt  confidence  in  his  work,  unknown  to  liim^  selected  a  jiew 


326  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

house,  and  furnished  it  throughout  with  every  facility  for 
convenience  and  comfort,  and  when  all  was  completed  invited 
him  and  his  family  to  it,  and  made  him  a  present  of  the  loan 
of  his  house,  and  all  its  contents. 

Thus  the  Great  Helper  lemembered  him  and  answered  his 
daily  prayer,  "Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread." 

Persevering  Prayer. 

At  one  of  the  prayer-meetings  at  the  Brooklyn  tabernacle, 
Mr.  Moody  closed  by  narrating  an  instance  of  persevering 
prayer  by  a  Christian  wife  for  an  infidel  husband.  She  re- 
solved to  pray  for  him  at  noon  for  eighteen  months,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  that  time,  her  knocking  not  having  been  re- 
sponded to,  she  exclaimed,  ^^  Lord,  I  will  iiray  for  him  every 
day,  and  at  all  hours,  as  long  as  life  lasts.'' 

That  day  the  Lord  heard  her  knock,  and  gave  her  the  de- 
sire of  her  heart,  in  the  conversion  of  her  husband.  When 
the  Lord  saw  her  faith  would  not  give  up,  he  sent  the  answer 
immediately. 

Noah's  Prayer.— He  Did  not  get  Discour- 
aged. 

The  life  of  faith  and  the  necessity  of  uncompromising  hold 
on  the  promises,  expecting  their  fulfillment,  is  admirably  ex- 
plained in  the  illustration  of  Noah's  prayer.  One  day  Mr. 
Moody  was  much  discouraged,  and  it  was  as  dark  a  Sabbath 
as  ever  he  had,  and  a  friend  suggested  to  him  to  study  the 
life  of  Noah. 

"I  got  out  my  Bible,  and  the  thought  came  over  me,  ^Here 
is  a  man  who  labored  and  talked  a  hundred  years,  and  didn't 
succeed ;  didn't  get  a  convert  notwithstanding  all  his  efforts, 
all  his  prayers,  but  he  didn't  get  discouraged.' 

"But  he  took  God  at  his  word;  he  worked  right  on;  he 
prayed  right  on  j  and  he  waited  God's  time.     And,  my  friends, 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  327 

from  that  time,  I  have  never  been  discouraged.  Whenever 
I  think  of  him,  it  lifts  me  up  out  of  the  darkness  into  the 
light.     Don't  get  discouraged." 

The  lesson  of  Noah's  life  is  briefly  this :  He  never  con- 
verted a  soul  outside  of  his  own  family.  That  was  the  work 
God  gave  him  to  do,  and  he  prayed  and  waited  and  worked, 
and  never  gave  up,  and  he  was  saved  and  all  his  family  with 
him. 

So  every  Christian  must  recognize  that  his  field  is  not  far 
off,  but  right  around  him,  in  his  house,  among  his  friends, 
working,  praying,  waiting,  but  never  getting  discouraged! 
The  Lord  will  never  fail  those  who  "abide  in  Him:' 

Samuel  Hick's  Prayer  for  Rain. 

Samuel  Hick  was  one  of  the  men  of  '' mighty  faith''  in  the 
Lord,  and  as  a  preacher  among  the  Methodists  of  England. 
He  was  of  great  eminence  for  his  happy  spirit,  remarkable 
trust,  powerful  and  practical  preaching,  and  unbounded  liber- 
ality. Among  the  many  incidents  connected  with  his  life  of 
faith,  we  quote  a  few  to  illustrate  with  what  simplicity  he  ex- 
pected always  an  answer  to  his  prayer,  and  was  not  satisfied 
until  he  got  it  : 

In  the  course  of  a  Summer  of  excessive  drought  a  few  years 
back,  when  the  grain  suffered  greatly,  and  many  of  the  cattle, 
especially  in  Lincolnshire,  died.  Samuel  Hick  was  much 
affected.  He  visited  Knaresborough,  at  which  place  he 
preached  on  the  Lord's  day. 

Kemaining  in  the  town  and  neighborhood  over  the  Sabbath, 
he  appeared  extremely  restless  in  the  house  in  which  he 
resided,  during  the  whole  of  Monday.  He  spoke  but  little- 
was  full  of  thought,  now  praying,  now  walking  about  the 
room,  next  sitting  in  a  crouching  posture— then  suddenly 
starting  up  and  going  to  the  door,  turning  his  eyes  toward 
heaven,  as  if  looking  for  some  celestial  phenomenon,  when  he 
would  return  again,  groan  in  spirit,  and  resume  his  seat.    The 


328  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

family^  being  impressed  with  his  movements,  asked  him 
whether  there  was  anything  the  matter  with  him  or  whether 
he  expected  any  person,  as  the  occasion  of  his  going  to  the 
door  so  frequently. 

"Bless  you  Bairns/'  was  his  reply,  "do  you  not  recollect 
that  I  was  praying  for  rain  last  night  in  the  pulpit,  and  what 
will  the  infidel  at  Knaresborough  think  if  it  do  not  come ;  if 
my  Lord  should  fail  me,  and  not  stand  by  me."  But  it  must 
have  time  ;  it  can  not  be  here  yet ;  it  has  to  come  from  the  sea. 
Neither  can  it  be  seen  at  first.  The  prophet  only  saw  a  bit 
of  cloud  like  a  man's  hand.  By  and  by  it  spread  along  the 
sky.  I  am  looking  for  an  answer  to  my  prayer,  but  it  must 
have  time. 

He  continued  in  the  same  unsettled  state,  occasionally 
going  out,  and  looking  with  intensity  on  the  pure  azure  over 
his  head;  for  a  more  unclouded  ski/  was  rarely  ever  seen. 
Contrary  to  all  external  signs  of  rain,  and  contrary  to  the 
expectations  of  all,  except  himself,  the  sky  became  overcast 
toward  evening,  and  the  clouds  dropped  the  fullness  of  a 
shower  upon  the  earth.  His  very  soul  seemed  to  drink  in 
the  falling  drops.  The  family  grouped  around  him,  like 
children  around  their  father,  while  he  gave  out  his  favorite 
hymn,  "I'll praise  my  Maker  tvhile  Tve  breath \^^  "and  after 
singing  it  with  a  countenance  all  a-glow,  through  the  sunshine 
of  heaven  upon  his  soul,  he  knelt  down  and  prayed.  All  were 
overpowered ;  it  was  a  season  of  refreshing  from  the  presence 
of  the  Lord. 

His  biographer  says  of  him :  "  Samuel  had  no  weather- 
glass upon  which  to  look  except  the  Bible,  in  which  he  was 
taught  to  believe,  and  expect  that  for  which  he  prayed  ;  noth- 
ing on  which  he  could  depend  but  God,  and  his  faith  was  set 
in  God  for  7'ainJ' 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  329 

Praying  for  the  Wind  to  Come. 

A  remarkable  incident,  showing  how  God  makes  the  winds 
to  obey  him  in  obedience  to  the  prayer  of  his  righteous  ones, 
and  the  expectations  of  their  faith,  occurred  also  in  Samuel 
Hick's  life,  which  is  really  an  astonishing  proof  of  God's 
supernatural  power. 

A  church  gathering  was  to  take  place  at  Micklefield,  and 
Samuel  had  promised  two  loads  of  corn  for  their  use.  "  The 
day  fixed  drew  near,  but  there  was  no  flour  in  the  house,  and 
the  wind-mills,  in  consequence  of  a  long  calm,  stretched  out 
their  arms  in  vain  to  catch  the  rising  breezes.  In  the  midst 
of  this  death-like  quiet,  Samuel  carried  his  corn  to  the  mill 
nearest  his  own  residence,  and  requested  the  miller  to  unfurl 
his  sails.  The  miller  objected,  stating  that  there  was  "no 
wind."  Samuel,  on  the  other  hand,  continued  to  urge  his 
request,  saying,  ^^  I  ivlll  go  and  pray  while  you  spread  the 
cloth.^''  More  with  a  view  of  gratifying  the  applicant  than  of 
any  faith  he  had,  the  man  stretched  his  canvas.  No  sooner 
had  he  done  this  than,  to  his  utter  astonishment,  a  fine 
breeze  sprung  up,  the  fans  whirled  around,  the  corn  was  con- 
verted into  meal,  and  Samuel  returned  luith  his  burden 
rejoicing,  and  had  everything  in  readiness  for  the  festival. 

In  the  mean  time,  a  neighbor  who  had  seen  the  fan  in 
vigorous  motion,  took  also  some  corn  to  be  ground  ;  but  the 
wind  had  dropped,  and  the  miller  remarked  to  him,  "  You 
must  send  for  Sammy  Hick  to  pray  for  the  wind  to  blow 
again." 

Snails  in  the  Ark. 

To  many  who  with  despondency  protest  that  they  have  not 
faith  enough,  get  along  so  slow,  are  too  weak,  &c.,  the  follow- 
ing sharp  retort  of  Hick  will  prove  a  bright  lining  to  their 
dark  cloud  of  failing,  aftd  lead  them  to  plod  on  in  prayer. 

"To  a  gentleman  laboring  under  great  nervous  depression, 


330  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

whom  he  had  visited,  and  who  was  moving  along  the  streets 
as  though  he  was  apprehensive  that  every  step  would  shake 
his  system  in  pieces,  he  was  rendered  singularly  useful.  They 
met,  and  Samuel,  having  a  deeper  interest  in  the  soul  than 
the  body,  asked :  '  Well,  how  are  you  getting  on  your  way 
to  Heaven.' '' 

The  poor  invalid,  in  a  dejected,  half  desponding  tone,  re- 
plied, "But  slowly  I  fear,"  intimating  that  he  was  creeping 
along  only  at  a  poor  pace. 

"Why  bless  you  Bairn,"  returned  Samuel,  ^^ there  were 
snails  in  the  arhP 

The  reply  was  so  earnest,  so  unexpected,  and  met  the  dis- 
pirited man  so  immediately  on  his  own  ground,  that  the 
temptation  broke  away,  and  he  was  out  of  his  depression. 

It  was  a  resurrection  to  his  feelings,  inferring  that  if  the 
snail  reached  the  ark  and  was  saved,  he  too,  "faint  yet  pur- 
suing," might  gain  admission  into  heaven. 

"He  Gave  All  the  Money  He  Had. 

At  one  time  he  attended  a  missionary  meeting  near  Har- 
rowgate.  "We  had  a  blessed  meeting,"  said  Samuel,  "I  was 
very  happy  and  gave  all  the  money  I  had  in  my  pocket." 
After  the  meeting  was  concluded,  he  mounted  his  horse  to 
return  home.  No  one  had  offered  to  pay  his  expenses — he 
had  not  a  farthing  in  his  pocket.  Advanced  in  life — a  slow 
rider,  and  not  a  very  sprightly  horse — in  the  night — alone — 
twenty  miles  from  home.  Think  of  the  lonesomeness ;  the 
time  for  the  tempter  to  come  and  lead  him  to  distrust  in  his 
Lord.  But  he  struggled;  the  trial  was  short  and  the  victory 
complete,  for,  said  he,  "Devil,  I  never  stuck  fast  yet." 

Just  as  he  entered  Harewood,  a  gentleman  took  his  horse 
by  the  bridle,  asked  him  where  he  had  been,  talked  with  him 
long,  and  to  whom  Samuel's  talk  was  a  wonderful  consola- 
tion.    Said  Sammy: 

"  I  have  not  wanted  for  any  good  thing,  and  could  always 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  331 

pray  with  Job,  'The  Lord  gave  and  the  Lord  taketh  away, 
hlessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord.' " 

The  gentleman  asked,  "Can  you  read  ?" 

"Yes,"  returned  SamueL 

"Then,"  replied  the  gentleman,  holding  a  piece  of  paper  in 
his  hand,  which  was  rendered  visible  by  the  glimmering  light 
of  the  stars, 

"  There  is  a  five  pound  note  for  you.  You  love  God  and 
his  cause,  and  I  believe  you  will  never  want." 

And  Sammy  said,  "  I  cried  for  joy.  This  was  a  fair  salva- 
tion from  the  Lord.  When  I  got  home,  I  told  my  w^ife.  She 
burst  into  tears,  and  we  praised  the  Lord  together,"  and  he 
added:  "You  see,  we  never  give  to  the  Lord  but  He  gives 
in  return." 

"The  Lord  "Will  Provide." 

A  poor  but  pious  widow  in  Boston,  in  her  eighty-seventh 
year,  said  to  a  friend,  ''When  I  was  left  a  widow  with  three 
little  children,  I  was  brought  into  such  extremity  that  they 
were  crying  for  bread,  and  I  had  nothing  for  them  to  eat. 
As  I  arose  on  a  Sabbath  morning,  I  knew  not  what  to  do  but 
to  ask  my  heavenly  Father  to  feed  my  little  ones,  and  com- 
mit myself  and  them  to  his  care. 

"  I  then  went  out  to  the  well  to  get  a  pail  of  w^ater,  and 
saw  on  the  ground  a  six  cent  piece,  which  I  took  up ;  and 
learning  that  it  did  not  belong  to  any  of  those  who  lived  in 
the  same  house  with  me,  I  thought  I  might  take  it  to  feed 
my  famishing  children.  Though  it  w^as  a  Sabbath  morning, 
I  felt  that  it  would  be  right  to  go  to  a  baker  who  lived  in  the 
neighborhood,  tell  him  our  circumstances,  and  buy  bread  with 
the  money  Providence  had  thus  cast  in  my  way.  The  baker 
not  only  did  this,  but  the  Lord  opened  his  heart  to  add  a 
bountiful  supply  ;  and  from  that  hour  to  the  present,  which  is 
nearly  fifty  years,  I  have  never  doubted  that  God  would  tak^ 
care  of  his  childrenJ' 


332  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Abraham  Lincoln's  Faith  in  Prayer. 

When  President  Lincoln  left  his  home  in  Springfield,  111., 
February  11,  1861,  on  his  way  to  Washington,  he  made  the 
following  farewell  address  to  his  friends  and  neighbors  : 
^'  My  friends,  no  one  not  in  my  position  can  appreciate  the 
sadness  I  feel  at  this  parting.  To  this  people  I  owe  all  I  am. 
Here  I  have  lived  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century ;  here  my 
children  were  born,  and  here  one  of  them  lies  buried.  I 
know  not  how  soon  I  shall  see  you  again.  A  duty  devolves 
upon  me  which  is  perhaps  greater  than  that  which  has  de- 
volved upon  any  other  man  since  the  days  of  Washington. 
He  would  never  have  succeeded  except  for  the  aid  of  Divine 
Providence,  upon  which  he  at  all  times  relied.  I  feel  that  I 
cannot  succeed  without  the  same  Divine  aid  which  sustained 
him,  and  on  the  same  Almighty  Being  I  place  my  reliance  for 
support ;  and  I  hope  you,  my  friends,  will  all  pray  that  I  may 
receive  that  Divine  assistance,  without  which  I  cannot  suc- 
ceed, but  with  which  success  is  certain.  Again,  I  bid  you  all 
an  affectionate  farewell."  That  simple  but  earnest  request 
sent  an  electric  thrill  through  every  Christian  heart,  and 
without  doubt,  in  response  to  it,  more  prayer  was  offered  for 
him  throughout  his  administration,  than  for  any  one  who 
ever  before  occupied  the  Presidential  chair. 

At  a  Sabbath-school  convention  in  Massachusetts,  a  speaker 
stated  that  a  friend  of  his,  duiing  an  interview  with  Mr. 
Lincoln,  asked  him  if  he  loved  Jesus.  The  President  buried 
his  face  in  his  handkerchief  and  wept.  He  then  said,  "  When 
I  left  home  to  take  this  chair  of  state,  I  requested  my  country- 
men to  pray  for  me.  I  was  not  then  a  Christian.  When  my 
son  died — the  severest  trial  of  my  life — I  was  not  a  Christian. 
But  when  I  went  to  Gettysburg,  and  looked  upon  the  graves 
of  our  dead  heroes  who  had  fallen  in  defence  of  their  country, 
I  then  and  there  consecrated  myself  to  Christ.  /  do  love 
Jesus.'^  Rev.  Mr.  Adams,  of  Philadelphia,  stated  in  his 
Thanksgiving  sermon  that,  having  an  appointment  to  meet 


ANSWERS   TO   PRAYER.  333 

the  President  at  5  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  went  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  before  the  time.  While  waiting  for  the  hour,  he 
heard  a  voice  in  the  next  room  as  if  in  grave  conversation, 
and  asked  the  servant,  "  Who  is  talking  in  the  next  room  ? '' 
"  It  is  the  President,  sir."  "  Is  anybody  with  him  ?  "  "  No, 
sir;  he  is  reading  the  Bible."  "Is  that  his  habit  so  early  in 
the  morning  ?  "  "  Yes,  sir.  He  spends  every  morning,  from 
4  o'clock  to  5,  in  reading  the  Scriptures  and  praying." 

It  was  the  Lord  who  Guided  the  'mind  of  Mr.  Lincoln  in 
his  extraordinary  act  of  the  Emancipatio7i  of  the  Slaves  of 
Ajnerica.  The  Lord  had  prepared  it,  and  chose  him  as  the 
means  whereby  to  accomplish  it. 

Were  not  his  Trayers  and  efforts  specially  Messed  by  the 
Lord  in  wisdoni,  for  the  guidance  of  our  Nation  ? 

Extraordinary  Care  of  the  Lord  in  An- 
swer to  Prayer. 

"  The  scenes  of  the  riots  in  New  York,  at  the  time  of  our 
civil  war,  are  of  national  celebrity  ;  but  few,  however,  know 
that  one  of  the  most  atrocious  acts  of  cruelty  attempted  to  be 
perpetrated  by  the  malefactors,  and  which  utterly  failed  of  its 
purpose,  came  solely  in  ansiver  to  prayer.  On  the  first  day 
of  the  mob,  however,  several  thousand  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, armed  with  clubs  and  brickbats,  suddenly  appeared  at 
£he  door  of  the  Colored  Orphan  Asylum,  and  effected  an  en- 
trance by  breaking  down  the  front  door  with  an  axe.  The 
building  was  soon  fired  in  ten  or  fifteen  places,  and  the  work 
of  destruction  was  accomplished  in  twenty  minutes. 

"  There  were  at  the  time  two  hundred  and  twenty-three 
children  in  the  building  with  their  attendants  and  teachers. 
The  matron  having  assembled  all  the  children  after  the  first 
alarm,  one  of  the  teachers  thus  addressed  them  :  ^  Children, 
do  you  believe  that  Almighty  God  can  deliver  you  from  a  mob  ? ' 
The  reply  was  promptly  made  in  the  affirmative.  '  Then,' 
said  she,  ^  I  wish  you  now  to  pray  silently  to  God  to  protect 


334  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

you  from  this  mob.  I  believe  that  he  is  able  and  will  do  it. 
Pray  earnestly  to  him,  and  when  I  give  the  signal,  go  in 
order,  without  noise,  to  the  dining-room.'  At  this  every  head 
was  instantly  bowed  in  prayer,  such  prayer  as  is  not  fre- 
quently offered,  the  silent,  earnest  supplication  of  terrified 
and  persecuted  little  children.  When,  at  the  sound  of  the 
bell,  their  heads  were  raised,  the  teacher  said  the  tears  were 
streaming,  but  not  a  sound,  not  even  a  sob,  was  to  be  heard. 
They  then  quietly  went  down  stairs  and  through  the  halls,  and 
she  remarked  that  ^to  her  dying  day  she  should  never  forget 
the  scene  ; '  the  few  moments  of  eloquent  silence,  the  stream- 
ing noiseless  tears,  the  funereal  march  through  the  halls,  the 
yells  and  the  horrible  sounds  which  were  nearer  and  nearer 
approaching.  Not  one  of  these  helpless  innocents  ivas  in- 
jured in  the  least ;  but  in  spite  of  the  threats  and  the  blood- 
thirstiness  of  the  rioters,  through  whom  they  were  obliged  to 
pass,  all  were  removed  unmolested  to  a  place  of  safety." 

A  Remarkable  Decision  by  a  Jnry. 

"In  one  of  our  northern  cities,  a  trial  at  law  took  place  be- 
tween a  Christian  and  an  infidel.  The  latter  had  sued  the 
former  for  a  heavy  sum,  falsely  alleging  his  promise  to  pay  it 
for  some  stocks  which  he  claimed  to  have  sold  him.  The 
Christian  admitted  an  offer  of  the  stock,  but  protested  that 
so  far  from  promising  the  sum  demanded,  he  had  steadily  re- 
fused to  make  any  trade  whatever  with  the  plaintiff.  Each  of 
the  parties  to  the  suit  had  a  friend  who  fully  corroborated  their 
assertions.     Thus  the  case  went  before  the  jury  for  decision. 

"  The  charge  of  the  judg«  was  stern  and  significant.  'It 
was  a  grave  and  most  painful  task  which  devolved  upon  him 
to  instruct  the  jurors  that  one  of  the  parties  before  them  must 
be  guilty  of  deliberate  and  willful  perjury.  Their  statements 
were  wholly  irreconcilable  with  each  other ;  nay  more,  were 
diametrically  opposite ;  and  that  either  were  innocently  mis- 
taken in  their  assertions  was  impossible. 


AKSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  335 

"  '■  Your  verdict,  gentlemen/  he  said  in  conclusion,  '  must 
decide  upon  which  side  this  awful  and  heaven-daring  iniquity 
belongs.  The  God  of  truth  help  you  to  find  the  truth,  that 
the  innocent  suffer  not.' 

"  It  was  late  in  the  day  when  the  judge's  charge  was  given, 
and  the  finding  of  the  jury  was  to  be  rendered  in  the  morn- 
ing. The  plaintiff  went  carelessly  from  the  court  arm  in  arm 
with  the  wicked  associate  whom  he  had  bribed  to  swear  falsely 
on  his  behalf.  The  defendant  and  his  friend  walked  away  to- 
gether in  painful  silence.  When  the  Christian  reached  his 
home,  he  told  his  family  of  the  judge's  solemn  charge  and  of 
the  grave  responsibility  which  rested  upon  the  jurors.  '  They 
are  to  decide  which  of  us  has  perjured  ourselves  on  this  trial,' 
he  said;  'and  how  terrible  a  thing  for  me  if  thoy  should  be 
mistaken  in  their  judgment.  There  is  so  little  of  any  thing 
tangible  for  their  decision  to  rest  upon,  that  it  seems  to  me 
as  if  a  breath  might  blow  it  either  way.  They  cannot  see  our 
hearts,  and  I  feel  as  if  only  God  could  enable  them  to  discern 
the  truth.  Let  us  spend  the  evening  in  prayer  that  he  may 
give  them  a  clear  vision.'  " 

The  twelve  jurymen  ate  their  supper  in  perplexed  silence, 
and  were  shut  in  their  room  for  deliberation  and  consultation. 
''I  never  sat  in  such  a  case  before,"  said  the  foreman.  "The 
plaintiff  and  defendant  have  sworn  point-blank  against  each 
other ;  and  how  wc  arc  to  tell  which  speaks  the  truth,  I  can 
not  see.  I  should  not  like  to  make  a  mistake  in  the  matter  ; 
it  would  be  a  sad  affair  to  convict  an  innocent  man  of  per- 
jury." Again  there  was  silence  among  them,  as  if  each  were 
weighing  the  case  in  his  own  mind.  ''For  myself  I  feel  as  if 
the  truth  must  be  with  the  defendant ;  I  am  constrained  to 
think  that  he  is  an  honest  man.  What  say  you,  gentlemen  ?  " 
Every  hand  was  raised  in  affirmation  of  this  opinio7i.  They 
were  fully  persuaded  of  its  truth,  and  gave  a  unanimous  ver- 
dict accordingly. 

Thus  the  Christian  man  was  rightfully  acquitted,  and  gave 
thanks  to  God,  with  a  new  and  stronger  confidence  in  the 


330  AltSWERS   TO    PHAYER. 

power  of  prayer.  "  Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble ; 
I  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt  glorify  me,"  saith  the 
Lord. 

That   Wonderful    $25.     Anotlier   Evidence 
of  tlie  Ever-Present  Spirit  of  God. 

The  following  incident  is  marvelous,  as  at  the  time  of  its 
occurrence  neither  party  had  ever  been  known  to  each  other : 

lia  New  Haven,  Conn.,  lives  a  little  invalid  widow,  almost 
helpless,  with  no  one  upon  whom  to  rely  for  support,  acd  only 
indebted  to  friendly  acquaintances  for  a  temporary  home. 
With  no  money,  no  acquaintances,  she  had  nowhere  else  to 
turn  to  but  to  the  Father  of  all  good.  She  had  prayed  often, 
and  often  had  answers,  but  this  time,  though  needing  money, 
still  she  received  none.  The  answer  was  long  delayed; 
she  was  almost  discouraged.  "  Was  God  at  last  to  fail  and 
forget  her?  No,  it  could  not  be.  Let  God  be  true  even  if 
I  perish,  I  shall  still  cling  to  Him.  I  can  not  give  Him 
up.'' 

Just  at  that  time  a  business  man  in  New  York,  who  had 
been  absent  on  a  long  journey  for  the  Summer  and  had  just 
returned,  happened  to  pick  up  a  note  among  many  hundred 
lying  on  his  desk,  and  noticed  that  the  writer  asked  for  some 
trifling  favor,  saying  she  was  poor,  had  no  means. 

Her  circumstances  were  unknown ;  he  knew  nothing  but 
her  name.  He  was  eager  to  7ninister  to  the  little  ones  of  the 
Lord,  and  felt  deeply  impressed  in  prayer  that  morning,  in 
asking  a  blessing  on  his  day's  labors,  that  he  might  be  able  to 
help  the  need  of  some  of  ^'  his  children  "  who  might  then  be 
in  want.  In  his  business  hours  the  thought  came  over  him 
with  the  depth  of  emotion,  "  what  can  i  do  ?  Lord,  thy 
SERVANT  IS  READY."  Just  at  that  moment  he  picked  up  this 
note  of  the  little  invalidj  who  asked  the  trivial  favor,  saying 
it  would  be  such  a  comfort.  {No  money  whatever  was  asked 
for  in  this  note.) 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  337 

Suddenly  the  thought  came  to  him,  ^[Perhaps  this  is  my 
very  opportunity.  This  may  he  the  Lord's  little  one  in  needJ^ 
But  there  was  nothing  in  the  letter  to  indicate  she  was  a 
Christian.     She  solicited  no  money  or  pecuniary  help. 

Immediately  there  came  to  his  mind,  amid  floods  of  tears, 
"  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  the  least  of  these,  my 
children,  ye  have  done  it  unto  mc.^^  Instantly  he  understood 
it  as  a  message  from  the  Lord,  and  the  intimation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  He  immediately  sat  down  and  wrote  a  check  for  $25, 
and  enclosed  it  to  her,  saying,  ^^ I  know  not  your  need ;  you 
liave  not  asked  me  for  help,  hut  I  send  you  something  which 
may  he  useful.  I  t?ncst  you  are  a  Christian.  I  shall  he 
happy  to  learn  if  it  has  done  good,  and  made  you  happy. 
Give  line  no  thanks.     The  Lords  hlessing  is  enough  for  me.^^ 

The  letter  was  sent  and  forgotten,  but  a  strange  presenti- 
ment came  over  the  mind  of  the  writer.  "  /  am  afraid  I  did 
not  direct  that  letter  right. ^^  He  sent  a  second  postal  card, 
asking  if  a  letter  had  been  received  at  her  home  ;  if  not,  to  go 
to  her  post  office  and  inquire. 

Now  notice  the  wonderful  singularity  of  incident.  Here  is 
a  man  sending  money,  never  asked  for,  to  an  unknown  per- 
son, about  ivhom  he  knew  nothing  ;  then  misdirecting  his  let- 
ter, and  then  remembering  and  sending  another  Tnessage  to  go 
and  find  ivhere  the  first  had  gone  to.  But  notice  the  mar- 
velous  result.  The  little  invalid  received  the  postal  card,  but 
not  the  letter.  She  sent  to  the  post  office,  and  sure  enough 
there  was  the  first  letter  with  its  misdirection.  She  was  just 
in  time  to  save  it  from  being  sent  to  another  woman  of  the 
same  name  living  in  another  'part  of  the  same  city. 

She  opened  her  letter,  and  with  tears  of  thankfulness  pe- 
rused this  wonderful  reply,  a  marvelous  witness  to  the  power 
of  an  overruling  Spirit,  who  had  directed  everything. 

"My  heart  is  full,  that  God  should  so  answer  my  simple 

prayer.     I  first  asked  him  for  $10,  then  $15,  and  then  for 

$25.     I  asked  him  for  $25  several  times,  and  was  a^onished 

at  my  boldness,  but  the  amount  was  so  fixed  in  my  mind,  I 

22 


338  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

could  not  ask  for  anything  else,  and  then  I  Immbly  trusted  it 
>  Him,  and  from  that  time  I  thought,  I  will  not  name  any 
sum  ;  let  it  he  as  He  knows  my  need.  And  how  He  has  hon- 
ored my  simple  faith  and  trust  in  these  dark  days.  Your  let- 
ter continued  exactly  the  %2'^  I  prayed  for.  I  have  not  had 
$1.50  to  spend  this  Summer.  I  have  suffered  for  everything. 
But  through  it  all  I  have  felt  such  perfect  faith  in  the  Lord, 
that  his  hand  was  leading  me,  even  when  I  could  not  see  a 
step  before  me  ;  and  that  He  should  move  your  heart  to  help 
me  seems  so  wonderful,  so  good.  I  am  so  glad  I  can  thank 
you  now,  hut  ah,  so  much  "  over  there,''^  Avhere  words  will  ex- 
press so  much  more  in  the  beautiful  atmosphere  of  heaven. 
Your  letter  and  kind  gift  was  mailed  the  very  same  day  that 
I  was  praying  in  great  distress  and  trial.  I  knew  not  but 
that  I  should  be  without  even  a  home.  My  verse  was  Psalms 
50 :  15.  0,  how  I  had  to  pray  that  day.  So  day  by  day  I 
was  comforted,  and  now  to-day  the  answer  has  come." 

Here,  then,  is  a  portion  of  the  story  of  a  sweet  life  who 
trusted  God,  not  as  a  God  of  the  past,  nor  far  off,  but  ever 
living,  ever  present,  ever  faithful,  and  believed  Him  ah^c,  ivill- 
ing,  and  that  He  woidd  help  her  in  her  daily  life.  She  tried 
her  Lord,  to  prove  if  his  promises  were  indeed  true,  and  she 
clung  to  them  to  the  very  last.  No  one  knew  her  need. 
No  one  knew  what  she  was  praying  for.  The  stranger  did 
not  know  anything  of  her.  She  had  asked  money  of  no  one 
but  the  Lord.  Hesitant  ever,  she  dared  not  name  any 
amount  of  the  Lord,  but  that  ever  present  Spirit  of  God 
guided  her  heart,  made  her  fix  the  amount,  and  then  touched 
the  heart  of  the  stranger  and  fixed  the  amount  also  in  his 
mind,  and  then,  by  his  own  guidance  saved  the  letter  from 
being  lost,  and  behold !  when  opened  the  prayer  of  the  one 
and  the  gift  of  the  other  was  the  same. 

What  a  comfort,  what  a  privilege,  then,  it  is  for  the  true- 
hearted  Christian  thus  to  feel,  "  There  is  one  who  careth  for 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  339 


Why  He  Failed. 

A  prominent  business  man  failed  in  the  Spring  of  1877. 
He  had  been  for  years  a  prominent  and  consistent  member 
of  a  Christian  church.  He*  had  even  supported  a  church  once 
almost  entirely.  Nothing  was  known  against  his  character, 
but  he  failed ;  he  failed  in  business.  No  one  knew  the  reason 
why,  but  there  it  wds,  failure. 

At  last,  in  moments  of  bitter  repentance  before  God,  he 
unbosomed  himself  to  his  pastor,  and  said,  "  Lo7ig  ago  1 
jproiuised  to  give  the  Lord  one-tenth  of  all  the  profits  I  gained 
from  my  business,  and  while  I  did  so,  I  was  im7nensely  pros- 
perous and  successful;  never  did  any  one  have  any  such 
splendid  success, — but  I  forgot  my  promise,  stopped  giving, 
thought  that  I  did  7iot  need  to  spend  so  much,  and  I  began  to 
invest  my  means  in  real  estate.  When  I  stopped  giving  I 
stopped  getting.  Now  all  is  gone.  1  lost  my  all  because  I  did 
not  keep)  m.y  promise  to  the  Lord?^ 

This  incident  is  a  practical  one,  telling  how  utter  is  the 
impossibility  of  true  success,  without  the  aid  of  the  Lord,  and 
how  absolutely  necessary  it  is  to  our  own  peace  and  comfort 
of  mind  to  religiously  observe  one's  promises  made  to  God. 
The  Bible  only  too  truly  tells  of  the  end  of  those  who  forget 
Him. 

'^But  Jeshurun  waxed  fat,  then  he  forsook  God  which  made 
him;  and  when  the  Lord  saw  it,  he  abhorred  them,  and  said, 
^L IV ill  hide  my  face  from  them.''  " 

"  Ye  can  not  prosper;  because  ye  have  forsaken  the  Lord, 
He  hath  also  forsaken  you.''^  "  There  shall  be  desolation  ; 
because  thou  hast  forgotten  the  God  of  thy  salvation,  and 
hast  not  been  mindful  of  the  rock  of  thy  strength?^ 


HOW  THE  LORD 


John  Easter's  Prayer. 

In  his  "  Memorials  of  Methodism  in  Virginia,"  Dr.  W.  W. 
Bennet  relates  the  following  incidents  in  the  life  of  John 
Easter,  one  of  the  pioneer  ministers  who  labored  there  nearly 
one  hundred  years  ago  :  He  is  represented  as  being  the  most 
powerful  exhortatory  preacher  of  his  day.  His  faith  was 
transcendent,  his  appeals  irresistible,  his  prayers  like  talking 
with  God  face  to  face.  Perhaps  no  man  has  ever  been  more 
signally  honored  of  God  as  an  instrument  in  the  conversion 
of  souls.  On  one  of  his  circuits  eighteen  hundred  members 
were  added  to  the  church  in  a  single  year. 

Many  thrilling  scenes  under  his  preaching  yet  linger 
among  the  people  in  those  counties  where  he  principally 
labored.  A  most  extraordinary  display  of  his  faith  was  wit- 
nessed in  Brunswick.  At  Merritt's  meeting-house  a  quar- 
terly meeting  was  in  progress,  and  so  vast  was  the  concourse 
of  people  from  many  miles  around,  that  the  services  were  con- 
ducted in  a  beautiful  grove  near  the  church.  In  the  midst  of 
the  exercises,  a  heavy  cloud  arose,  and  swept  rapidly  towards 
the  place  of  worship.  From  the  skirts  of  the  grove  the  rain 
could  be  seen  coming  on  across  the  fields.  The  people  were 
in  consternation  ;  no  house  could  hold  one-third  of  the  multi- 
tude, and  they  were  about  to  scatter  in  all  directions.     Easter 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  341 

rose  in  the  midst  of  the  confusion — "Brethren,"  cried  he  at 
the  top  of  his  voice,  "  be  still  while  I  call  upon  God  to  slay 
the  cloud:*,  till  His  word  can  be  preached  to  perishing  sinners." 
Arrested  by  his  voice  and  manner,  they  stood  between  hope 
and  fear.  He  kneeled  down  and  offered  a  fervent  prayer  that 
God  would  then  stay  the  rain,  that  the  preaching  of  His  word 
might  go  on,  and  afterwards  send  refreshing  showers.  While 
he  luas  i^raying^  the  angry  cloud,  as  it  swiftly  rolled  up  to 
them,  was  seen  to  part  asunder  in  the  midst,  pass  on  either 
side  of  them,  and  close  again  beyond,  leaving  a  space  several 
hundred  yards  in  circumference  perfectly  dry.  The  next 
morning  a  copious  rain  fell  again,  and  the  fields  that  had 
heen  left  dry  were  well  watered.''^ 

The  Hushed  Tempest. 

The  following  circumstance  is  communicated  to  The  Chris- 
tian by  a  minister  of  the  editor's  acquaintance,  as  a  memorial 
of  God's  care  for  the  poor  and  needy  who  trust  in  him : 

It  was  about  the  year  1853,  and  near  the  middle  of  a  Cana- 
dian Winter  we  had  a  succession  of  snowfalls,  followed  by 
high  winds  and  severe  cold.  I  was  getting  ready  to  haul  my 
Winter's  stock  of  wood,  for  which  I  had  to  go  two  miles  over 
a  road  running  north  and  south,  entirely  unprotected  from 
the  keen  cold  west  winds  that  prevail  the  most  of  the  time  in 
that  part  of  Canada  during  the  Winter  months. 

The  procuring  of  my  Winter's  supply  of  wood  was  no  small 
task  for  me,  for  I  had  very  little  to  do  with,  and  was  unable 
to  endure  much  fatigue,  or  bear  the  severe  cold.  I  had,  how- 
ever, succeeded  in  securing  the  services  of  an  excellent  hand 
to  chop,  and  help  me  load,  and  had  also  engaged  a  horse  of 
one  neighbor,  and  a  horse  and  sled  of  another,  and  was  ready 
on  Monday  morning  to  commence  my  job.  Monday  morning 
the  roads  were  fair,  the  day  promised  well,  and  my  man  was 
off  at  daybreak  to  the  woods  to  have  a  load  ready  for  me. 
There  had  been  quite  a  fall  of  snow  during  the  night  j  not 


342  ~  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

enough  to  do  any  harm  if  it  only  lay  still,  hut  should  the 
wind  rise,  as  it  had  after  every  snow-fall  hefore,  it  w-ould 
make  it  dreadful  for  me.  Soon  as  possible  I  harnessed  my 
team,  and  started.  I  had  not  gone  a  quarter  of  a  mile  before 
it  became  painfully  evident  that  a  repetition  of  our  previous 
"  blows  "  was  impending.  The  sky  was  dark  and  stormj^,  tbe 
wind  rose  rapidly,  and  in  every  direction  clouds  of  the  newly 
fallen  snow  were  beginning  to  ride  on  the  "wings  of  the 
wind,"  pouring  over  the  fences,  and  filling  the  road  full ! 
My  heart  sank  within  me.  AVhat  could  I  do  ?  At  this  rate, 
by  next  morning  the  roads  would  be  impassable,  and  it  was  so 
cold  !  Besides,  if  I  failed  to  go  on  now,  it  would  be  very 
difficult  to  get  my  borrowed  team  together  again,  and  impos- 
sible to  get  my  man  again ;  and  we  could  as  well  live  without 
bread  as  without  wood  in  a  Canadian  Winter. 

Every  moment  the  wind  increased.  In  deep  distress,  I 
looked  upon  the  threatening  elements,  exclaiming  over  and 
over,  "  What  shall  I  do  ?  "  I  felt  then  that  there  was  but 
one  thing  that  I  could  do,  and  that  was  just  what  poor  sinking 
Peter  did  ;  and  with  feelings  I  imagine  something  like  his, 
I  looked  up  to  God,  and  cried  out,  "  0,  my  God,  this  is  more 
than  I  am  able  to  bear.  Lord,  help  me  !  Tbe  elements  are 
subject  to  thee  ;  thou  boldest  the  winds  in  thy  fist.  If  thou 
wilt  speak  the  word,  there  will  be  a  great  calm.  0,  for  Jesus' 
sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  my  little  helpless  family,  let  this 
snow  lie  still  and  give  me  an  opportunity  of  accomplishing 
this  necessary  labor  comfortably!"  I  do  not  think  it  was 
above  fifteen  minutes  after  I  began  to  call  upon  the  Lord 
before  there  was  a  visible  change.  The  wind  began  to  sub- 
side, the  sky  grew  calm,  and  in  less  than  half  an  hour  all  was 
still,  and  a  more  pleasant  time  for  wood-hauling  than  I  had 
that  day,  I  never  saw  nor  desire  to  see.  Many  others  beside 
me  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  that  "  sudden  change  "  of  weather, 
but  to  them  it  was  only  a  "  nice  spell  of  weather,"  a  "  lucky 
thing;"  while  to  me  it  was  full  of  sweet  and  encouraging 
tokens  of  the  "  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord,"     And  now,  after 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  343 

SO  many  years,  I  feel  impelled  to  give  this  imperfect  narrative, 
to  encourage  others  in  the  day  of  trouble  to  call  upon  the 
Lord ;  and  also,  as  a  tribute  of  gratitude  to  Him  who  has 
"  never  said  to  the  house  of  Jacob,  seek  ye  my  face  in  vain.'^ 

Praying  in  Fair  Weather. 

The  ways  in  which  God  saves  those  whom  he  wishes  to  de- 
liver from  death,  are  sometimes  too  wonderful  for  our  under- 
standing. A  certain  ship  was  overtaken  in  a  severe  and  pro- 
longed storm  at  sea.  She  had  a  noble  Christian  man  for  a 
captain,  and  as  good  a  sailor  as  ever  trod  the  quarter-deck, 
and  he  had  under  him  a  good  and  obedient  crew.  But  tliey 
could  not  save  the  ship  ;  she  was  too  badly  strained,  her 
leaks  were  too  great  for  the  pumps,  she  must  go  to  the  bot- 
tom. The  captain  committed  them  all  to  the  care  of  the  God 
in  whom  he  put  his  trust,  and  made  ready  to  take  to  their 
boats.  Just  then  a  sail  was  descried,  and,  by  signals  of  dis- 
tress, drawn  to  their  relief.  All  on  board  were  taken  off 
safely  and  put  on  the  ship,  soon  after  which  they  saw  their 
own  ship  go  down. 

Now  comes  the  peculiar  part.  The  ship  was  soon  over- 
taken in  a  dreadful  storm,  was  cast  on  her  beam  ends,  and 
everything  seemed  to  be  lost.  The  passengers  were  praying, 
and  many  of  the  old  seamen  were  calling  on  God  to  save  them 
from  the  great  deep.  The  captain  of  the  ship  had  done  his 
best,  but  could  not  right  the  vessel,  and  all  was  given  up 
to  go  down.  The  captain,  whose  ship  was  lost,  then  asked  if 
be  might  take  his  crew  and  try  to  right  the  vessel. 

"  Take  them,  and  do  what  you  can,"  was  the  reply.  He 
called  to  his  men  and  told  them  they  must  save  that  ship;  he 
inspired  them  with  confidence,  for  they  knew  he  was  a  true 
man  of  God.  They  executed  his  orders  with  alacrity  and 
care.  They  cut  away  the  masts,  and  cleared  away  the  rig- 
ging, and  brought  all  the  force  they  could  to  right  the  ves- 
sel.    God  prospered  the  effort — the  ship  righted ;   they  got 


344  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

the  pumps  at  work,  rigged  a  sail,  and  were  finally  all  saved. 
It  seemed  as  if  it  was  necessary  to  put  the  captain  of  the  first 
ship  and  his  crew  on  the  second  ship,  that  they  might  save  it 
and  those  on  board  when  the  terrible  storm  came. 

Now  it  was  particularly  noticed  in  connection  with  this  de- 
liverance, that  the  captain  of  the  lost  vessel  did  not  make 
any  ado  in  prayer,  or  in  calling  on  God,  while  the  storm  was 
raging  ;  and  knowing  that  he  was  a  Christian  man,  they 
asked  him  the  reason  of  this.  He  answered  them,  that  he 
did  his  praying  in  fair  weather;  ^'  and  then/'  said  he,  ^'when 
the  storm  comes,  I  ivorkJ'  He  did  not  distrust  God  then, 
any  more  than  in  fair  weather;  but  he  knew  that  God  re- 
quires man  to  do  all  he  can  to  save  himself,  and  praying 
might  lose  him  his  ship,  when  his  own  efforts  must  save  it. 

The  Rescue  from  the  Ville  du  Havre, 
and  the  Loch  Earn. 

A  remarkable  illustration  of  God's  mysterious  way  is  found 
in  connection  with  the  rescue  of  some  of  the  passengers  of 
the  ill-fated  French  steam-ship,  Ville  du  Havre,  which  was 
sunk  by  a  collision  with  the  Loch  Earn,  November  22,  1873, 
on  her  voyage  from  New  York  to  France.  After  the  sinking 
of  the  Ville  du  Havre,  with  some  two  hundred  of  her  passen- 
gers, the  rest  were  taken  up  by  the  Loch  Earn,  from  which 
most  of  them  were  afterwards  transferred  to  the  Trimountain. 
Others  remained  on  board  the  Loch  Earn,  where  in  conse- 
quence of  its  disabled  condition  they  seemed  again  in  immi- 
nent danger  of  being  lost. 

On  the  11th  of  December,  while  Mr.  D.  L.  Moody  was 
conducting  a  noonday  prayer-meeting  in  the  city  of  Edin- 
burgh, Eev.  Dr.  Andrew  Thompson  read  a  letter  from  a  Chris- 
tian lad}'^,  the  mother  of  one  of  these  imperiled  passengers, 
which  contained  the  following  account : 

"After  the  Trimountain  left  them,  and  they  had  examined 
their  ship,  many  a  heart  failed,  and  they  feared  they  would 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  345 

never  see  land  again.  They  could  not  navigate  the  vessel, 
and  were  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves,  or  rather 
to  the  care  of  Him  who  ruleth  wind  and  waves.  Vain  was 
the  help  of  man.  The  wind  drove  them  out  of  the  course  of 
ships,  northward.  You  are  aware  that  two  ministers  were 
left  on  board  the  Loch  Earn.  One,  Mr.  Cook,  a  truly  godly 
man,  did  all  he  could  to  encourage  their  hearts.  Every  day, 
at  noon,  he  gathered  them  together,  and  earnestly,  by  prayer, 
strove  to  lead  them  to  the  Savior  ;  and  this  he  continued  to  do 
till  they  reached  England.  The  day  before  they  were  res- 
cued they  knew  that  very  shortly  the  ship  must  go  down. 
The  wind  had  changed,  bringing  them  nearer  the  track  of 
ships,  but  they  had  little  hope  of  being  saved.  Mr.  Cook 
told  them  of  his  own  hope,  that  death  to  him  would  be  eternal 
life,  and  he  urgently  entreated  them  to  put  their  trust  in 
'  Him  who  was  mighty  to  save.'  At  the  same  time  he  told 
them  he  had  no  doubt  they  would  be  rescued,  that  even  then 
a  vessel  was  speeding  to  save  them,  that  God  had  answered 
their  prayers,  that  next  day  as  morning  dawned  they  would 
see  her.     That  night  was  one  of  great  anxiety. 

"As  morning  dawned  every  eye  was  strained  to  see  the 
promised  ship.  There  truly  she  was,  and  the  British  Queen 
bore  down  upon  them.  You  may  think  that  with  thankful 
hearts  they  left  the  Loch  Earn.  One  thing  is  remarkable — 
the  officer  in  charge  on  hoard  the  British  Queen  had  a  most 
unaccountable  feeling  that  there  was  something  for  him  to  do, 
and  three  times  during  the  night  he  changed  the  course  of  t fie 
vessel,  bearing  northward.  He  told  the  watch  to  keep  a 
sharp  lookout  for  a  ship,  and  immediately  on  sighting  the 
Loch  Earn  bore  down  upon  her.  At  first  he  thought  she  had 
been  abandoned,  as  she  lay  helpless  in  the  trough  of  the  sea, 
but  soon  they  saw  her  signal  of  distress.  It  seems  to  me  a 
remarkable  instance  of  faith  on  the  one  side  and  a  guiding 
Providence  on  the  other.  After  they  were  taken  on  board 
the  pilot-boat  that  brought  them  into  Plymouth,  at  noon, 
when  they  for  the  last  time  joined  together  in  prayer,  Mr, 


346  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Cook  read  to  them  the  account  of  Paul's  shipwreck,  showing 
the  similarity  of  their  experience.  '  What  made  that  captain 
change  his  course  against  his  will  ? '  but  the  ever  present 
Spirit  of  God.'' 

The  Storm  Made  Calm. 

At  a  Sunday  morning  meeting  at  Repository  Hall,  Janua- 
ry 25,  1874,  a  Christian  brother,  in  illustration  of  the  power 
and  faithfulness  of  God,  and  his  willingness  to  hear  and  an- 
swer prayer,  related  these  facts  in  his  own  experience.  An 
account  of  them  was  subsequently  published  in  the  Chrlstia7i: 

^'  In  1839  I  was  a  sailor  on  board  the  brig  Pandora,  Cap- 
tain G ,  bound  from  Savannah  to  Boston,  with  a  cargo  of 

cotton.  When  off  the  coast  of  Virginia,  some  twenty-five 
miles  distant  from  Chesapeake  Baj^,  we  encountered  a  heavy 
gale.  Saturday  evening,  December  21st,  the  wind  blew  gently 
from  the  south.  On  sounding,  we  found  ourselves  in  thirty 
fathoms  of  water.  At  midnight  the  wind  veered  to  the  east- 
ward, gradually  increasing  until  four  o'clock  Sunday  morning, 
by  which  time  the  brig  was  under  close-reefed  topsails  and 
foresail.  The  wind  still  increasing,  every  stitch  of  canvas 
was  taken  in,  and  now  the  vessel  lay  helpless  and  unman- 
ageable in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  not  minding  her  helm 
at  all,  while  the  wind  blew  a  perfect  hurricane.  The  vessel 
being  very  light,  loaded  with  cotton,  made  much  leeway,  and 
though  we  had  worn  ship  four  times  during  the  preceding 
night,  hoping,  if  possible,  to  weather  some  shoals  which  the 
captain  judged  were  near,  and  to  make  Chesapeake  Bay, 
where  we  might  have  a  clear  beach  before  us  in  case  the  ves- 
sel should  strand,  yet  at  eight  o'clock  Sunday  morning  we 
were  in  but  seventeen  fathoms  of  water. 

"  The  gale  now  increased  with  fearful  violence,  waves  ris- 
ing like  mountains,  and  rain  and  sleet  pouring  from  the  dis- 
mal clouds.  At  ten,  a.  m.,  being  then  in  fifteen  fathoms  of 
water,  and  drifting  rapidl}^  towards   the   shore,  the  captain 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  347 

summoned  all  hands  into  the  cabin  to  consult  about  throwing 
our  deck-load  overboard,  in  order  to  leave  us  a  better  chance 
to  secure  ourselves  to  the  rigging,  and  thus  save  our  lives 
when  the  vessel  should  strike,  which  he  judged  would  be  in 
about  half  an  hour.  Not  a  gleam  of  hope  appeared,  and  here 
our  distress  was  increased  by  observing  that  the  captain 
seemed  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  to  which  he  had  prob- 
ably resorted  in  order  to  stifle  his  fears  of  aj^proaching  death. 

''The  order  was  given,  and  we  went  to  work  to  throw  the 
cotton  over,  while  the  captain,  frightened  and  despairing, 
went  into  the  cabin  to  drown  his  fears  in  drink.  Seeing  the 
state  of  things,  and  believing  that  shipwreck  was  imminent, 
I  found  two  of  my  shipmates  who  were  Christians,  and  who 
had  prayed  daily  with  me  in  the  forecastle,  and  I  asked  them 
if  they  had  any  faith  in  God  now,  that  he  would  hear  our 
prayers  and  deliver  us?  They  both  said  they  had  ;  and  I 
told  them  to  pray,  then,  that  the  Lord  might  rebuke  the 
winds  and  calm  the  waves. 

''With  an  unspeakable  mingling  of  fear  and  hope  we  applied 
ourselves  to  the  task  of  casting  the  cotton  into  the  sea,  at  the 
same  time  lifting  up  earnest  and  united  prayers  to  God  for 
deliverance  from  the  threatened  destruction,  occasionally  glid- 
ing in  close  contact  with  each  other,  and  speaking  words  of 
hope  in  each  other's  ears,  and  feeling,  as  we  toiled,  a  blessed 
confidence  that  our  prayers  were  not  in  vain. 

"  It  did  not  seem  more  than  five  minutes  from  the  time  we 
commenced  to  throw  the  cotton  overboard,  for  we  had  scarcely 
tumbled  twenty  bales  into  the  sea,  when  we  heard  a  shout 
from  the  quarter  deck  : 

''  ^Avast  heaving  cotton  overboard  !  The  ivincl  is  coming 
out  from  our  lee!  Avast  there!' 

"  It  was  the  captain's  voice,  bidding  us  stay  our  hands  ; 
we  obeyed,  and  looking  up  we  saw  him  clinging  to  the  rig- 
ging, apparently  so  drunk  that  he  could  hardly  stand,  while 
away  over  our  lee-hoiu  we  could  see  blue  sky  and  fair  weather , 
and  it  seemed  that  in  less  than  ten  tninutes  fom  the  time  the 


348  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

hurricane  was  at  its  height,  the  wind  had  chopped  around 
in  shore,  and  was  gently  wafting  us  away  from  danger,  and 
out  into  deep  water  again. 

^^  There  were  glad  souls  on  board  the  Pandora  that  day,  as 
she  swung  around  in  obedience  to  the  helm,  and  we  laid  her 
course  again  for  our  destined  port.  And  some  who  before 
had  mocked  at  prayers  and  blasphemed  the  God  we  loved, 
admitted  then  that  God  had  answered  prayer,  and  that  he 
had  delivered  us  from  death. 

"And  I  love  to  repeat  the  story  to  the  praise  of  the  Lord, 
who  yet  lives  to  hear,  and  bless,  and  save  his  trusting  chil- 
dren." 

No  Fear  of  Thunder. 

Some  years  ago  a  camp-meeting  was  held  in  Southern  In- 
diana. It  rained  nearly  all  the  time  of  the  meeting.  Father 
Haven,  a  man  mighty  in  prayer,  rose  to  preach.  Just  as  he 
announced  his  text  it  thundered,  and  the  congregation  seemed 
to  be  restless  and  alarmed.  The  old  hero  instantly  said, 
"Let  us  engage  a  moment  in  prayer."  He  ^^rayed  that  God 
would  allow  the  storm  to  pass  by  and  not  disturb  them. 

After  having  plead  for  a  Itew  moments  he  said,  "  Friends, 
keep  your  seats ;  it  will  not  rain  one  drop  here  to-day."  He 
commenced  to  preach,  and  it  thundered  again.  He  repeated 
his  assurance,  and  thus  it  continued  until  the  storm-cloud  was 
almost  over  the  encampment.  It  divided  north  and  south, 
and  passed  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  on  either  side  of  them, 
reunited  again  and  passed  on,  and  not  one  solitary  drop  of 
rain  fell  on  that  encampment. 

The  Prayer  of  the  Pilgrims  for  Rain 
Answered. 

It  is  well  known  that  many  of  the  good  men  who  were 
driven  from  England  to  America  by  persecution  in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  had  to  endure  great  privations.    In  the  Spring 


ANSWERS    TO   PRAYER.  349 

of  1623  they  planted  more  corn  than  ever  before ;  but  by  the 
time  they  had  done  planting,  their  food  was  spent.  They  daily 
prayed,  "Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread;  "  and  in  some  way 
or  other  the  prayer  was  always  answered.  With  a  single 
boat  and  a  net  they  caught  some  fish,  and  when  these  failed, 
they  dug  in  the  sand  for  shell-fish.  In  the  month  of  June 
their  hopes  of  a  harvest  were  nearly  blasted  by  a  drought 
which  withered  up  their  corn  and  made  the  grass  look  like 
hay.     All  expected  to  perish  with  hunger. 

In  their  distress  the  pilgrims  set  apart  a  day  of  humiliation 
and  praj^er,  and  continued  their  worship  for  eight  or  nine 
hours.  God  heard  their  prayers,  and  answered  them  in  a 
way  which  excited  universal  admiration.  Although  the  morn- 
ing of  that  day  was  clear,  and  the  weather  very  hot  and  dry 
during  the  whole  forenoon,  yet  before  night  it  began  to  rain, 
and  gentle  showers  continued  to  fall  for  many  days,  so  that 
the  ground  became  thoroughly  soaked,  and  the  drooping  corn 
revived. 

The  Enemies  of  a  G-od  Fearing  Nation. 

"An  answer  to  prayer,"  says  Le  Clerc,  "may  be  seen  by 
what  happened  on  the  coast  of  Holland  in  the  year  1672. 
The  Dutch  expected  an  attack  from  their  enemies  by  sea,  and 
public  prayers  w^ere  ordered  for  their  deliverance.  It  came 
to  pass  that  when  their  enemies  waited  only  for  the  tide,  in 
order  to  land,  the  tide  ivas  retarded,  contrary  to  its  usual 
course,  for  twelve  hours,  so  their  enemies  were  obliged  to  de- 
fer the  attempt  to  another  opportunity;  which  they  never 
found,  because  a  storm  arose  afterwards,  and  drove  them 
from  the  coast." 

Changing  the  Course  one  Point. 

Walking  across  Palace  Square  in  Eio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil, 
with  an  American  ship-master,  (says  a  correspondent  of  the 
Watchman,)  he  invited  me  to  accompany  him  to  his  hotel, 


350  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

While  there  he  showed  me  a  very  large  gold  medal  he  had 
received  from  the  British  government  for  saving  a  ship's 
company  at  sea.  The  circumstances  were  these :  One  night 
at  sea,  when  it  was  the  captain's  ''mid-watch/^ — the  watch 
from  twelve,  midnight,  till  four  o'clock  in  the  morning — just 
before  turning  in,  he  gave  the  officer  of  the  watch  the  ship's 
course  ;  the  direction  in  which  she  was  to  be  steered.  While 
undressing,  it  was  impressed  on  his  mind  that  he  ought  to 
change  the  course  a  point;  but  he  could  see  no  reason  for  the 
change,  as  the  ship  was  on  the  right  course  for  the  port  of 
her  destination.  He  turned  in  and  tried  to  fall  asleep,  as  it 
was  only  four  hours  to  his  watch ;  but  the  impression  that 
he  ought  to  change  the  ship's  course  kept  him  awake.  In 
vain  he  tried  to  throw  off  that  impression  ;  and  yielding  to 
it,  he  went  on  deck  and  gave  the  order  for  the  change.  On 
returning  to  his  berth,  he  was  asleep  as  soon  as  his  head  was 
on  the  pillow.  The  next  day  he  sighted  a  ship  in  distress, 
and  made  sail  for  her.  The  ship  was  in  a  sinking  condition, 
and  he  rescued  the  whole  ship's  company.  Shortly  after,  a 
gale  of  wind  arose  and  carried  the  sinking  ship  to  complete 
destruction.  Had  not  the  American  captain  changed  the 
course  of  his  ship  that  evening,  he  would  not  have  come  in 
sight  of  the  ship  in  distress,  and  all  of  the  company  would 
have  perished. 

Query — What  viade  that  Captain  arise  in  the  middle  of 
the  night  and,  contrary  to  all  science,  reason  and  his  own 
will,  change  the  course  of  his  vessel,  but  a  Supreme  Being, 
whose  power  he  could  not  resist,  and  what  made  him  exactly 
reach  that  sinking  ship  just  in  time. 


fj^  miu\{  $t.  3mm  lf^^JWjj> 


ANSWERS  TO  PRAYER  FROM  ITS  HISTORY,  RECORDS 
AND  CORRESPONDENCE. 


The  following  Incidents  of  Prayer  and  the  remarkable 
Answers,  have  been  obtained  from  the  records  of  the  Fulton 
Street  Praj'^er  Meeting  in  New  York  City.  They  include 
both  facts  which  have  been  related  by  speakers  in  their  daily 
meetings,  or  furnished  from  the  letters  of  those  who  have 
solicited  Prayer  and  received  the  Answer  to  their  Faith. 

They  are  of  the  utmost  diversity  of  subjects,  literally  in- 
cluding the  "  all  things  "  of  the  Bible,  and  temporal  as  well 
as  spiritual  interests. 

Numerous  as  the  incidents  are,  which  we  here  give,  still 
they  cover  only  one-sixtieth  part  of  the  whole  Record  of  the 
Blessed  Meeting. 

History  can  never  tell  of  the  wonders  done  in  Answer  to 
the  Prayers  of  these  trusting  ones  ;  but  Faith  can  rejoice, 
for  here  is  fulfilled  daily  those  cheerful  Promises  of  the  Lord : 
"  If  ye  abide  in  me  and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask 
what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  he  done  unto  yonP  "Ask  and  re- 
ceive, that  your  joy  may  be  fulV^ 

Saved  from  a  Life  of  Degradation. 

"  Your  prayers  for  my  husband  have  been  answered ;  on  the 
very  day  I  wished  your  prayers  for  him,  and  before  the  hour 
of  prayer  had  expired^  he  came  into  the  house,  and  said,  'i 


352  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

am  going  to  do  better.''  He  had  not  been  home  before  for 
several  weeks.  He  was  a  profane,  hard-drinking  man.  He 
has  since  joined  the  church.     '  All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus' 


Recovery  of  an  Invalid. 

"One  year  ago,  the  prayers  of  this  meeting  were  asked  for 
an  invalid  who  had  years  of  intense  suffering  before  her, 
unless  soon  relieved.  Prayers  were  offered  for  her.  Now  we 
would  like  to  acknowledge  the  loving-kindness  and  tender 
mercy  of  our  God,  for,  since  that  time,  she  has  slowly  but 
steadily  improved,  even  under  most  trying  and  unfavorable 
circumstances,  and  has  now  recovered  comparative  strength.^' 


Relief  in  Business. 

"  None  of  those  who  trust  in  Him  shall  he  made  desolated 
"  Some  three  weeks  ago,  I  wrote  you,  stating  that  my  busi- 
ness had  been  a  failure,  and  asked  your  prayers  that  God,  in 
His  mercy,  would  point  out  a  way  for  me  to  provide  for  my 
family.  The  clouds  grew  thicker  and  blacker,  but  the  more 
earnest  were  my  prayers.  Last  Saturday  the  Lord  came  to 
my  rescue,  and  provided  me  with  the  necessities  of  life,  and 
to-day  T  wish  you  to  join  with  me  in  thanksgiving  to  Almighty 
God  for  these  favors — *  For  He  is  good ;  His  mercy  endureth 
forever.' " 

A  Daughter  Saved  from  Marriage  with, 
a  Corrupt  Man. 

'^  I  pray  you  give  God  praise  and  thanks  for  His  merciful 
deliverance  of  my  dear  daughter  from  the  evil  influence  of  the 
man  to  whom  she  had  given  her  love  and  promise  of  marriage. 
The  Lord  gave  her  strength  and  courage  to  break  her  engage- 
ment, in  answer  to  our  earnest  prayers.  Oh,  implore  Him  to 
keep  that  man  out  of  her  path,  for  he  is  constantly  lying  in 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  353 

wait  to  meet  her  when  she  goes  out.  He  wanted  her  to  read 
bad  books,  but  told  her  that  the}'  were  not  wrong.  He  con- 
stantly laid  temptation  in  alluring  forms  before  her.  To  Him 
alone  be  the  thanks  for  this  step  she  has  taken." 

A  Skeptic  Overpowered. 

"  More  and  more  God  is  pouring  out  His  Spirit,  gloriously- 
answering  your  prayers  and  ours.  I  have  been  constantly 
asking  your  prayers,  and  though,  for  a  while,  the  vision  tar- 
ried, yeo  it  has  come.  The  young  man,  from  a  neighborhood 
where  there  was  not  one  Christian,  and  he  himself  scarcely 
less  than  a  skeptic,  is  now  sitting,  in  his  right  mind,  at  Jesus' 
feet:' 

Saved  from  Death, 

"  My  brother,  that  lay  apparently  at  the  point  of  death,  has 
been  restored  to  comparative  health." 

An  Intemperate  Young  Man  Reclaimed. 

"Kejoice  with  me,  and  thank  God  for  his  gracious  answer 
to  prayer.  The  intemperate  young  man  for  whom  I  requested 
prayer  some  months  ago,  has  turned  away  from  his  cups,  and 
is  earnestly  striving  to  overcome  his  appetite  for  strong  drink. 
He  is  competent  to  be  the  means  of  doing  so  much  good." 

The  Conversion  of  Intimate  Friends. 

"  Some  time  since,  I  sent  request  for  prayer  for  the  con- 
version of  friends.  Since  then  three  have  united  with  the 
church." 

Raised  np  from  Death's  Door. 

^'  Our  former  pastor  was  raised  up  from  death's  door,  in 
answer  to  your  prayer.  The  doctor  gave  him  up.  He  says 
the  Lord  alone  saved  him,  in  answer  to  prayer.  Praise  His 
name." 

23 


354  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

The  Desire  of  the  Heart  Fulfilled. 

"  A  few  weeks  since  I  sent  a  request  for  prayer  in  my 
behalf,  asking  you  to  pray  God  very  earnestly  that  He  would 
grant  me  the  desire  of  my  heart,  for  which  I  was  praying 
almost  unceasingly.  On  the  evening  of  the  same  day  on 
which  I  supposed  you  would  receive  my  request,  the  ansiuer 
came,  lifting  a  great  burden  from  my  heart.  I  send  this 
in  acknowledgment  of  God's  loving-kindness  to  me,  and  to 
encourage  every  burdened,  praying  one,  to  trust  Sim  more.''^ 


A  Poor  Old  Sick  Lady  Restored. 

"  The  poor,  sick  old  lady  for  whom  I  requested  your  prayers 
some  time  since,  wishes  to  return  thanks  to  Almighty  God,  for 
restoring  her  health,  and  sending  friends.  It  is  wonderful 
how  your  and  our  requests  are  answered." 


A  New  Birth. 

"  Give  thanks  with  me.  Since  I  wrote  you  last,  our  son 
has  given  himself  to  Jesus." 

A  Chiirch  Saved  from  Strife. 

^^  It  is  with  heartfelt  gratitude  to  God  that  I  write  you  of 
answer  to  your  prayer.  Last  Spring,  I  asked  your  prayers 
in  behalf  of  our  church.  It  was  almost  destroyed  by  a  man 
trying  to  get  into  our  Conference  without  proper  papers, 
and  could  not.  He  then  broke  up  a  Presbyterian  church, 
and  formed  another.  He  gathered  a  number  of  our  members 
with  him,  and  tried  hard  to  take  our  parsonage,  but  did  not 
succeed.  Thank  God  !  though  we  are  few,  and  have  had  a 
hard  struggle,  we  still  hold  our  property,  our  circuit  has 
doubled,  God  is  reviving  His  work,  and  is  now  answering 
your  prayers." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  355 

Reason  Restored. 

"Last  March,  I  requested  you  to  pray  for  a  dear  friend  in 
Massachusetts,  who  was  deprived  of  her  reason  through  sick- 
ness and  great  trouble.  Give  thanks  unto  Godj  she  is  fully 
7'estored.^' 

"Arise  and  Walk." 

"  It  will  be  just  one  year  since  Jesus  came  and  took  me  by 
the  hand,  and  I  arose  from  what  teas  supposed  to  be  my  death- 
bed^ and  tvalked  to  the  astonishment  of  all.  I  have  not 
claimed  the  fullness  of  the  promise,  but  feel  that  I  may.  I 
prayed  God  not  to  heal  my  body  wholly,  until  I  was  more 
patient  under  my  cross." 


The  Appetite  for  Strong  Drink  Taken 
Away. 

"  Sometime  ago  I  wrote  to  you  for  my  husband.  He  was 
a  victim  to  strong  drink  at  that  time,  but  blessed  be  God)  he 
has  not  drank  one  drop  for  five  ^nonthsP 

Spiritual  Strength. 

"  I  feel  your  prayers ;  I  think  I  know  the  day  and  the  hour, 
for  I  felt  strengthened  with  strength  in  my  soul." 

Healing  of  Soul  and  Body. 

"  I  have  reason  to  rejoice  that  I  have  been  greatly  blessed 
in  answer  to  your  prayers.  Two  young  lady  friends  of  mine 
have  been  enabled  to  claim  the  blessed  promise  of  full  salva- 
tion, not  only  to  the  healing  of  the  soul,  but  the  body  also. 

My  own  experience  helped  them.  On  the  16th  of  January, 
last,  in  answer  to  constant  prayer  offered  by  myself  and 
friends,  I  arose  from  what  all  thought  to  be  my  death-bed, 


356  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

and  walked  all  over  the  house  ;  also  many  miles  on  the  streets 
during  the  next  few  months.  I  did  not  claim  the  full  extent 
of  the  promise  as  I  craved  only  relief  from  such  terribie  pain, 
as  was  then  my  portion  to  bear.  I  think  God  in  his  goodness 
would  have  granted  full  restoration  to  health,  as  I  was  so 
anxious  to  work  for  Him,  hut  I  pleaded  with  Him  not  to 
heal  my  body  until  my  mind  had  had  the  discipline  I  felt  it 
needed." 

An  Intemperate  Husband  Saved  by- 
Prayer. 

'^  Some  three  weeks  since,  I  asked  you  for  my  intemperate 
husband,  that  you  would  pray  that  he  might  be  willing  to  he 
saved.  He  has  been  made  willing  to  give  up  the  intoxicating 
cup,  and  says  he  has  not  any  desire  for  it.  To  God  be  all  the 
praise." 

Religion  Lost,  Religion  Regained. 

"  I  wrote  you  two  months  since,  asking  an  interest  in  your 
prayers  for  a  young  man  that  experienced  religion  a  year  ago, 
but  failed  to  confess  Christ  by  uniting  with  the  church. 
Your  prayers  have  been  answered.  Last  night  my  heart  was 
made  to  rejoice  by  seeing  him  confess  Christ,  before  the  world. 
He  is  now  happy  in  the  love  of  Jesus,  and  will  be  useful  and 
active  in  the  church." 

Drunkards  Reformed. 

"Return  thanks  to  God  for  two  men  signing  the  pledge, 
about  one  month  ago,  who  have  been  enabled  to  keep  it 
through  great  temptation.  They  ivere  drunkards  for  over 
twenty  years.  Their  reformation  was  in  answer  to  a  praying 
mother's  prayers,  and  to  the  prayers  for  them  at  your  meet- 
ing." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  ^^J 

A  Hopeless  Case. 

"  A  little  less  than  a  year  ago,  prayers  were  desired  at  the 
Fulton  street  prayer-meeting  for  a  man  whose  case  seemed 
wholly  hopeless.  Shortly  after  he  gave  up  drink,  and  be- 
came a  Christian;  is  now  a  happy  man,  and  has  a  happy 
family. 

"Please  carry  this  thank  offering  to  God,  that  he  has  given 
us  such  a  Savior,  and  such  a  way  to  escape  from  temptation.^^ 

A  Harvest  of  Conversions. 

"  Last  Fall,  I  wrote  you  to  pray  for  us.  You  did  pray. 
The  result  was  a  wonderful  increase  of  spiritual   liie—fifty 


A  Family  Made  Happy. 

^  "Two  years  ago,  I  wrote  asking  your  prayers  for  a  dear 
sister,  brothers  and  nieces.  Since  then,  one  brother,  about 
sixty,  and  my  two  nieces  have  been  converted,  and  are  now 
rejoicing  in  a  Savior's  love." 

The  Power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 

"About  two  years  ago  we  requested  your  prayers  for  the 
Holy  Spirit  upon  a  revival  work  then  in  progress  in  our 
church."  The  Lord  answered  us  by  giving  us  over  four  score 
soulsJ^ 

Hearts  Made  Glad. 

"  We  return  most  hearty  thanks  for  the  answer  to  prayer 
given.  I  wrote  more  than  a  year  ago  last  August  of  our  low 
state.  Last  Winter  twenty  young  persons  were  converted, 
and  continue  to  work  faithfully." 


358  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Given  Up  by  Man,  but  Rescued  by  the 
G-reat  Physician. 

"The  writer  was  himself  raised  up  by  prayer,  from  the 
gates  of  death,  offered  by  the  heart  and  lips  of  one  who  is 
now  a  sufferer.  Two  of  the  most  skillful  physicians  in  the 
land  had  given  me  uyP 

The  Story  of  a  Wayward  Life,  Saved  by 
Prayer. 

"  In  the  last  fourteen  years  I  have  stood  beside  the  death- 
beds of  eight  who  were  near  and  dear  to  me,  and  the  last 
words  that  each  spoke  to  me  as  they  were  leaving  the  world 
were,  "  Will  you  not  meet  me  in  Heaven  ?  ^'  I  have  been  a 
wayward  child.  Eight  years  ago  I  became  addicted  to  strong 
drink.  I  became  a  drunkard,  which  brought  my  dear  old 
father  down  to  an  untimely  grave.  I  made  a  promise  on  his 
death-bed  that  I  would  not  drink  any  more,  and  for  six  long 
years  I  kept  that  promise,  but  at  last  I  broke  it.  I  again 
became  a  drunkard,  which  began  to  tell  on  my  wife.  I 
promised  her  that  I  would  not  drink,  but  that  promise  was 
broken  time  after  time.  Within  this  year,  in  the  week  of 
prayer,  I  attended  the  prayer-meetings,  asked  prayers  for  me, 
and  on  the  night  following,  I  erected  the  family  altar,  which 
had  for  four  years  been  neglected,  and,  thank  God,  it  is  there 
yet.  I  am  now  trusting  in  the  promise  that  He  will  not  let 
his  children  he  tempted  beyond  what  they  are  able  to  endure.''^ 

A  Wonderful  Cure. 

An  earnest  Christian  woman  who  believed  the  Lord  greater 
than  any  earthly  physician,  cries,  "  0,  praise  the  Lord.  He 
hath  delivered  me  in  six  troubles,  and  in  the  seventh  he  hath 
not  forsaken  me."  ^'  And  the  seventh  was  the  worst.  By 
the  help  of  eiglit  physicians,  and  in  answer  to  prayer,  partly 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  359 

of  this  meeting,  a  fearful  tumor  has  been  taken  from  me 
weighing  twelve  pounds^  with  three  gallons  of  water  in  the 
sack.  0,  praise  the  Lord,  for  He  is  good,  and  his  mercy  en- 
dureth  forever." 

This  case  was  one  of  extraordinary  risk  and  apparently  im- 
possible achievement ;  but  the  Lord  gave  faith  to  try,  and 
skill  to  win  the  victory.  'No  earthly  power  could  have  dared 
the  venture. 

Given  Up. 

"Our  pastor,  after  four  months'  sickness,  preached  to  us 
last  evening  the  most  solemn  sermon  I  ever  heard,  and  says 
he  was  raised  up  in  answer  to  prayer.  The  physicians  gave 
him  up  several  times,  and  say  they  have  never  known  such 
an  instance  of  recovery." 

Chains  Broken  at  Last. 

"  Long  months,  week  by  week,  I  have  asked  you  to  pray 
that  my  husband  might  be  saved  from  the  eternal  doom  of 
a  drunkard.  God  has  mercifully  given  him  strength  to  break 
the  fetters  that  bound  him  fast." 

Better  than  We  Expected. 

"  We  asked  your  prayers ;  they  have  been  answered.  They 
were  answered  more  and  better  than  we  had  hoped  or 
dreamed  they  could  be." 

Prayer  Answered  for  Employment. 

"  A  foreigner  without  means  and  friendless  tried  in  vain 
for  ten  months  to  succeed  in  finding  some  employment.  He 
requested  your  prayers  to  God,  and  God  answered.  In  less 
than  eighteen  hours  a  splendid  position  was  offered  to  him. 
He  and  his  wife  give  thanks,  and  pray  that  they  may  devote 
their  lives  usefully  to  the  cause  of  God  who  has  been  so  good 
to  them." 


360  ANSWERS   TO    PRAYER. 


Found  Employment. 

"  God  has  answered  our  united  prayers,  and  given  employ- 
ment to  his  child." 


An  Old  Lady  Saved  from  Little  Annoy- 
ances. 

"Your  prayers  have  been  heard  and  answered  in  mercy. 
The  old  lady  has  not  been  quite  so  much  annoyed.  Thank 
God  for  some  peace  for  the  aged  one,  not  able  to  bear  what 
younger  people  can,  that  go  out  into  the  world  and  can  find 
relief.  I  thank  my  heavenly  Father  for  his  loving-kindness 
and  tender  mercy  for  those  that  cry  to  him  in  trouble." 

Insanity  Dispelled. 

"I  sent  a  petition  months  ago,  for  prayers  for  an  insane 
husband.  Your  prayers  have  been  answered.  He  has  rap- 
idly recovered." 

Reclaimed. 

'^  I  must  ask  you  to  return  thanks  with  me  that  your 
prayers  have  been  answered.  An  intemperate  brother  has 
been  reclaimed." 

Restored  to  Health. 

"  One  month  since,  I  requested  prayer  specially  for  my  own 
family.  My  oldest  son,  who  was  then  sick,  has  been  restored 
to  his  usual  health.  ^  The  prayer  of  faith  hath  indeed  saved 
the  sick.^ " 

Temptations  Removed. 

"  Some  months  ago  I  asked  your  prayers  for  a  son  in  col- 
lege, amid  great  temptations.  I  desire  to  give  thanks  that 
those  temptations  have  been  removed." 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  361 

The  Heart  of  a  Clergyman  Turned  from 
Thoughts  of  Ambition. 

''I  sent  a  request  to  you  for  a  young  man,  who  was  called, 
and  eminently  fitted  for  the  ministry,  but  was  tempted,  by 
ambition,  not  to  listen  to  the  divine  call,  and  obstacles  had 
hedged  his  way  somewhat.  After  I  requested  your  prayers 
m  his  behalf,  this  temptation  was  removed,  and  nearly  one 
hundred  persons  were  converted  in  the  church  which  was 
under  his  care." 

A  Grateful  Tribute. 

^•For  a  long  time  I  have  been  the  subject  of  personal  afflic- 
tion, caused  by  two  internal  tumors  of  the  tvorst  type.  Speedy 
death  seemed  inevitable;  yet  there  was  a  little  hope  that  a 
surgical  operation  might  possibly  remove  the  difficulty  and 
prolong  my  day.  To  this  hope  I  clung,  submitted  to  the 
operation,  and  it  was  a  success  To  the  earnest  prayers  of 
Christian  people  is  due  this  grateful  acknowledgment." 

Was  a  Perfect  Slave  to  Liquor. 

*^  Please  return  thanks  to  our  kind  Heavenly  Father  for  this 
answer  to  prayer.  All  last  Winter  requests  were  sent  in  for 
a  gentleman,  a  perfect  slave  to  liquor.  Those  prayers  were 
answered,  and  he  is  attending  church  regularly,  striving  to  do 
what  is  right  to  please  his  Heavenly  Master." 

Always  Answered. 

"Several  times  in  years  past  I  have  asked  for  the  prayers 
of  this  meeting,  and  always  found  them  answered." 

Cured  of  Epilepsy. 

"I  wrote  you  to  aid  me  by  your  prayers,  that  my  afflicted 
son,  who  was  troubled  with  epilepsy,  might  be  cured.  Thanks 
be  to  the  Heavenly  Father,  he  is  better." 


362  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

Almost  Lost. 

"Your  prayers  and  mine  for  my  son  have  been  answered. 
He  was  almost  lost,  on  the  downward  road  of  intemperance. 
He  has  now  reformed." 

A  Situation  Obtained  by  Prayer. 

"  Yesterday  I  sent  a  request  that  God  would  give  me  sus- 
taining grace  and  abiding  faith,  and  in  his  own  good  time 
give  me  a  situation  where  I  might  be  able  to  support  my 
family.  In  that  very  afternoon,  I  made  a  contract  of  $1,200 
a  year.     Praise  the  Lord." 

A  Bountiful  Blessing. 

"  Some  time  ago  I  solicited  your  prayers  for  a  blessing  on 
my  services,  and  never,  in  all  my  life  before  have  I  been 
blessed  as  since  that  time.  'Tis  truly  wonderful;  it  has 
seemed  as  if  I  must  have  become  some  one  else,  and  that  it 
could  not  longer  be  me  speaking  with  such  boldness,  and 
apparent  success.  Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul,  and  all  that 
is  within  me,  bless  his  holy  name." 

Saved  from  the  Company  of  a  Bad  Lover. 

"  A  week  ago  I  begged  you  to  pray  for  my  daughter,  who 
had  given  her  heart  to  an  unworthy  man,  praying  that  God 
might  guide  her  to  see  him  as  he  is,  and  turn  her  love  from 
him.  She  is  a  child  of  God.  In  answer,  God  has  caused  a 
rupture  between  them." 

Away  from  Home,  but  not  away  from  God. 

*'  Some  weeks  since  I  sent  in  a  request  for  prayer  for  my 
sons  who  had  fallen  victims  to  intemperance  and  vice.  My 
heart  rejoices  to-day  in  the  hope  that  it  has. 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  363 

"Two  who  left  home,  and  had  gone  to  distant  cities  to  seek 
employment,  have  written  me  to  pray  that  they  may  be 
able  to  forsake  sin  in  all  its  forms,  and  come  to  Christ 
and  be  Christians.  One  of  them  was  skeptical  when  he 
left  home.  The  one  remaining  at  home  has  resolved  to  quit 
drinking." 

Grod  Always  Answers  Believing  Prayer. 

"  Your  prayers  asked  on  several  occasions  have  all  been 
graciously  answered.  Eeturn  thanks  unto  the  Lord  that 
sendeth  mercy." 

The  Hardest  Heart  Yields  at  Last. 

"Several  years  since  your  prayers  were  solicited  in  behalf 
of  one  who  seemed  given  over  to  hardness  of  heart  and  repro- 
bacy  of  mind.  Since  that  time  there  has  been  some  reform 
in  his  life.  God  only  knows  how  far  those  prayers  have  been 
answered  in  restraining  grace.  Last  week  he  said  to  the 
friend  who  had  solicited  your  prayers  for  him,  'I  wish  you 
would  ask  Fulton  Street  prayer-meeting  to  pray  again  for 
me.     I  believe  it  did  me  good.' ^^ 

Up  from  the  Lowest  Depths. 

^'  One  year  ago  I  wrote  you  respecting  prayer  for  my  hus- 
band. He  has  since  been  reclaimed  from  the  lowest  depths 
of  a  drunkard's  life,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church.     Thanks  be  to  God,  the  giver  of  all  good." 

Saved  and  Honored. 

"  Almost  three  years  ago  I  asked  you  to  pray  for  a  young 
man  that  was  wandering  from  God.  Thank  God,  your  and 
my  prayers  were  answered.     He  is  now  an  active  Christian, 


364  ANSWERS   TO    PRAYER. 

a  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school,  and  a  most  zealous 
member  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  this 
place." 

Almost  Persuaded. 

"  Some  weeks  since  I  requested  prayer  for  a  member  o{ 
this  Institution  who  was  ^  almost  persuaded '  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian. Thanks  to  our  Father,  and  to  those  who  have  offered 
prayer  in  her  behalf,  she  has  been  altogether  persuaded,  and 
has  united  with  the  Lord's  people." 

Answered  the  Same  Day. 

"  You  received  a  letter  yesterday.  My  husband  rose  for 
prayers  the  same  night." 

Oh,  How  Precious. 

"  I  wrote  five  months  since  for  prayers  for  myself,  and  I 
now  write  to  say  that  I  have  found  my  Savior  very  precious 
to  my  soul." 

Praying  for  a  Pastor. 

"Several  months  ago  I  wrote  asking  3'ou  to  pray  for  a  fee- 
ble church  in  need  of  a  pastor.  Since  then  I  am  happy  to 
say  that  this  church  has  been  blessed  and  we  now  have  a  pas- 
tor." 

A  Telegram  of  Prayer. 

An  incident  was  related  at  one  of  the  meetings  by  a  clergy- 
man who  had  written  a  telegram  asking  for  prayers.  God 
heard  it  before  it  was  sent. 

"When  we  were  in  Switzerland,  my  daughter  was  taken 
very  ill,  so  that  the  doctor  despaired  of  her  life.  I  felt  the 
need  of  sympathy  and  help  and  prayer,  and  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  I  would  send  a  telegraphic  dispatch  to  this  meet- 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  365 

ing,  where  I  had  so  often  united  with  you  in  prayer.  I  wrote 
the  dispatch  and  was, prepared  to  send  it,  when  all  at  once 
there  was  poured  out  such  a  joyful  faith  and  confidence  in 
God  on  me  as  I  never  felt  before  in  all  my  life,  and  I  fell  on 
my  knees  in  devout  thanksgiving  for  the  assurance  that  God 
gave  me  that  he  had  heard  and  answered  our  prayers,  for  we 
had  prayed  for  that  dear  daughter's  life.  There  lay  the  tele- 
gram ready  to  be  sent.  There  I  was  waiting  and  praying. 
In  less  than  half  an  hour  my  wife  came  into  the  room  and 
said, /There  is  a  change  for  the  better  in  our  daughter,'  and 
the  telegram  was  never  sent,  tliough  I  believe  the  writing  of 
it  was  the  prayer  that  God  answered." 

He  Did  not  Keep  His  Promise,  but  God 

Did. 

A  remarkable  instance  of  how  God  keeps  his  promises  and 
is  faithful,  and  how  man  often  forgets  to  keep  his,  and  at  last 
receives  deserved  punishment  for  his  thanklessness  to  God, 
was  recently  related  in  the  Fulton  Street  prayer-meeting. 

A  very  urgent  case  was  presented  by  a  friend.  He  said : 
"A  friend  of  mine  is  seeking  Jesus.  A  little  while  ago  his 
only  child  lay  near  death.  He  prayed  God  to  restore  her  to 
health,  promising  to  serve  the  Lord  for  the  rest  of  his  life  if 
the  child's  life  was  spared.  His  daughter  recovered,  but  the 
man  forgot  the  promise  he  had  made  and  sought  not  after 
God.  In  a  very  little  while  the  child  was  suddenly  taken 
sick  again,  and  almost  as  suddenly  died.  The  father  remem- 
bered his  vows,  and  feels  that  this  is  God's  solemn  warning 
to  him  to  seek  the  Savior." 


A  Double  Prayer  Answered. 

At  the  Fulton  Street  prayer-meeting  a  number  of  remark- 
able cases  were  related  of  real  answers  to  prayer  for  recovery  to 
health,  and  obtaining  of  positions. 


366  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

'^  I  must  tell  you  how  God  has  been  answering  prayer,  for 
his  glory  and  for  your  encouragement.  Your  prayers  were 
asked  for  a  sick  wife.  She  was  thought  by  the  doctors  to  be 
beyond  recovery,  but  in  response  to  prayer  God  spared  her 
life,  and  she  and  her  husband  returned  their  heartfelt  thanks 
to  Him.  But  there  was  another  trouble.  The  husband  had 
long  needed  employment,  and  was  in  great  pecuniary  distress. 
He  had  been  praying  for  help,  beseeching  the  Lord  to  open 
up  a  way  for  him.  But  help  did  not  come,  and  the  cloud 
seemed  darker,  and  the  poor  man  got  discouraged.  Friends 
begged  him  to  hope  on,  and  not  to  give  up  his  trust  in  that 
God  who,  in  answer  to  prayer,  had  raised  his  sick  wife  to 
health.  He  continued  to  pray,  and  on  the  long,  dark  night, 
morning  at  last  dawned.  He  is  now  in  a  good  position,  and 
sends  a  request  to  friends  to  thank  God  with  him  for  this 
two-fold  goodness  of  the  Lord. 

How  the  Lord  Blessed  an  old  Advertise- 
ment. 

"I  had  another  acquaintance  who  was  also  greatly  distressed. 
With  a  wife  and  family  to  care  for,  and  all  his  means  gone, 
and  no  prospect  of  employment,  he  was  in  trouble  indeed. 
We  induced  him  to  present  his  case  for  prayer  here,  as  it 
would  encourage  him  to  have  others  pray  for  him.  Then  we 
inserted  an  advertisement  in  one  of  the  daily  papers,  offering 
his  services,  hoping  the  Lord  would  bless  the  means  used  and 
answer  prayer.  Day  by  day  passed,  but  no  response  came. 
Some  two  weeks  after  the  advertisement  was  inserted,  a  mer- 
chant picked  up  an  old  paper,  and  noticing  the  advertisement, 
showed  it  to  his  partner,  remarking,  ^  Why,  this  is  just  the 
man  we  need.'  Observing  the  old  date  on  the  paper,  his 
partner  said  he  thought  it  would  be  too  late  to  respond ;  but 
the  trial  was  made.  The  man  was  requested  to  call,  and 
proved  to  be  just  what  these  merchants  had  been  wishing 
for,  and  was  very  quickly  engaged.     He  feels  that  the  Heav- 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER.  367 

enly  Father  who  cares  for  the  sparrows,  undoubtedly  met  his 
need,  and  that  all  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  case 
were  providential.'' 

Hating  the  Accursed  Drink. 

A  brother  rose  in  the  meeting  and  said,  ^^  I  believe  it  is 
God's  will  that  I  should  tell  you  how  He  saved  me,  about  two 
years  since.  I  came  into  the  meeting  when  it  was  held  in 
the  old  church,  and  was  at  the  time  under  the  influence  of 
liquor.  The  missionary  took  me  into  the  gallery  and  talked 
with  me,  and  prayed  with  me,  and  God  heard  prayer  and 
saved  me.  I  became  a  new  man  in  Christ,  and  have  lost  all 
appetite  for  drink  j  I  hate  the  accursed  stuff." 

A  Drunkard  for  Thirty  Years. 

Another  told  a  remarkable  story  of  his  life  :  "  I  was  a 
drunkard  for  thirty  years,  and  I  tried  all  kinds  of  means  to 
get  free,  but  all  failed.  I  pledged  myself  over  and  over  again, 
and  swore  off  many  a  time.  At  last,  Jesus  met  me  at  the 
mission  meeting,  and  he  saved  me.  He  took  away  the  appe- 
tite for  drink  from  me.  I  am  a  different  man  ;  I  am  tempted 
in  various  ways  at  times,  but  when  tempted  I  think  of  Jesus 
and  look  to  Him,  and  He  saves  me." 

The  Hopeless  One  Brought  Home. 

"  A  pastor  related  the  incident  of  the  conversion  of  a  man 
who  had  disgraced  his  family,  and  all  through  drink.  All  the 
people  in  the  village  where  he  lived  regarded  him  as  a  hope- 
less case.  But  he  was  prayed  for,  and  one  night  in  answer 
to  an  appeal  to  those  desiring  Christ  to  rise,  he  rose.  He 
soon  became  a  new  man,  and  a  steadfast  soldier  of  the  Cross, 
completely  delivered  from  his  hopeless  situation,  and  all  his 
appetites  taken  away." 


368  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER. 

"No  Man  can  pluck  them  out  of  my 
Father's  Hand." 

A  brother  says,  "Jesus  says  this,  and  I  rest  just  there." 
"A  year  ago  I  was  in  Philadelphia.  I  had  resolved  not  to 
drink  any  liquor  that  day,  but  my  resolution  was  soon  broken. 
In  the  evening  as  I  wandered  the  streets,  that  voice  of  God, 
''Turn  ye,  turn  ye,^  gave  me  great  uneasiness.  Although  I 
tried  hard  not  to  go,  yet  the  Spirit  was  at  work  within  me, 
and  against  my  will  led  me  to  the  meetings  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association.  When  the  call  came  for  those 
desiring  prayers,  I  felt  that  it  was  my  last  call,  and  I  pushed 
forward  and  rose.  Friends  prayed  with  me,  and  that  night,  as  I 
pleaded  for  mercy,  the  burden  of  my  sin  was  lifted  and  I  was 
free.  Christ  took  the  appetite  for  drink  away,  and  He  has 
kept  me  ever  since,  and  will  keep  me  to  the  end,  for  He 
says,  ^Fear  not,  for  I  have  redeemed  thee;  I  have  called 
thee  hy  thy  name  ;  thou  art  mine.''  Oh  !  I  know  He  won't  let 
me  go." 

Answer  to  Prayer  in  Temporal  Matters. 

A  speaker  said  at  one  meeting,  '^God  answers  prayer  in 
temporal  matters.  In  a  Western  college,  at  a  time  when  the 
last  morsels  of  food  had  been  eaten,  and  some  had  to  go  away 
from  the  table  empty,  four  of  the  number  retired  to  pray, 
and  before  they  had  ceased  praying  relief  came.  Provisions 
in  large  quantities  were  received,  thus  verifying  the  old  prom- 
ise, '  Before  they  call  I  will  answer.' " 

The  Lord  proved  True. 

"The  Lord  reigns,"  another  exclaimed,  "I  have  proved 
that  during  my  long  life  !  It  has  looked  dark  very  often,  and 
I  have  been  in  difficult  places,  but  again  and  ap^ain  the  Lord 
has  brought   me  through   triumphantly.     I  have  found  tlie 


ANSWERS    TO    PKAYEK.  369 

promise  true.''     "  Trust  in  the  Lord,  and  do  good,  so  shalt 
thou  dwell  in  the  land,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed." 

A  Little  Boy's  Qnestion. 

A  brother  related  a  touching  incident  which  occured  in 
Brooklyn.  "A  little  boy  asked  his  father  at  the  dinner  table, 
*  Papa,  ivhy  doriH  you  read  the  Bible?  ^  The  father  was  a 
passionate  man,  and  was  about  driving  the  boy  out  of  his 
presence,  but  his  anger  made  the  little  fellow  weep.  That 
brought  tears  to  the  mother's  eyes,  and  then  the  father  fol- 
lowed suit.  The  boy's  tears  moved  him,  and  the  question 
struck  his  heart  5  and  father  and  mother,  up  to  that  hour 
unconverted,  were  soon  on  their  way  to  the  prayer-meeting, 
where  they  found  Jesus." 

A  Little  G-irl's  Qnestion. 

A  touching  little  story,  with  eternal  results  in  it,  was  told 
at  one  of  the  meetings,  illustrating  that  word  of  God's 
book,  "  A  little  child  shall  lead  them."  "  A  dress-maker 
called  on  a  very  wealthy  lady  in  a  city  not  far  from  New 
York,  and  took  with  her  her  little  girl,  five  years  old.  The 
lady  took  a  fancy  to  the  child,  and  showed  her  over  the 
house.  She  expressed  great  admiration  at  all  she  saw,  and, 
particularly  attracted  by  the  carpet,  said  to  the  lady  :  '  Why, 
I  should  think  Jesus  must  come  here  very  often,  it  is  such 
a  nice  house,  and  such  a  beautiful  carpet — He  must  come 
here  very  often.  He  comes  to  our  house,  and  we  have  no  car- 
pet ;  I  am  sure  He  must  come  here  very  often,  doesn't  He  ?  ' 
The  lady  not  answering,  the  child  repeated  the  question, 
when  the  reply  came,  with  deep  emotion,  "  I  am  afraid  not." 
The  child  left,  but  God's  message  was  delivered.  The  lady 
related  the  incident  to  her  husband  in  the  evening,  and  both 
were  led  to  seek  the  Savior. 
24 


370  ANSWERS    TO    PRAYEK. 

God  Cared  for  Me. 

At  a  meeting  a  young  man  in  broken  English,  said  :  "  If 
any  man  ought  to  believe  in  prayer,  I  ought  to.  My  friends 
turned  me  out  of  my  home,  because  I  was  seeking  for  Christ. 
I  was  too  much  Christian  my  landlady  said.  I  told  her  I 
wished  I  was  all  Christian.  It  was  seven  o'clock  in  the 
evening  when  she  refused  to  let  me  come  into  the  house.  I 
went  then  to  the  prayer-meeting  in  Water  Street;  we  had  such 
a  good  meeting,  that  I  quite  forgot  that  I  had  no  place  to  sleep. 
The  services  over,  I  found  it  was  raining  fast,  and  I  had  no 
place  to  which  to  go.  I  went  back  into  the  room,  and  kneel- 
ing at  one  of  the  benches,  I  begged  God  to  give  me  a  place  to 
rest.  I  did  not  go  home  my  usual  way  that  night,  but  on  the 
way  I  took  I  met  an  old  friend,  and  walking  with  him  to  his 
house  he  begged  me  to  stay  the  night,  as  he  did  not  like  to  be 
alone.  I  staid  there  that  night,  though  I  had  never  told  him 
of  my  condition.  What  was  it  but  an  answer  to  prayer. 
Many  a  time  since  has  God  thus  provided  for  my  wants.  0 
friends,  let  your  heart  go  out  for  Him,  then  He  will  never  let 
you  want." 

The  Blind  Can  See. 

Said  another,  "  I  came  here  yesterday  to  ask  you  to  pray 
for  my  sister.  She  has  been  sick  some  time,  and  then  she  lost 
her  sight.  I  did  not  get  an  of)portunity  to  present  my  request 
because  so  many  took  part ;  but  I  thought  I  would  just  take 
my  sister's  case  to  Jesus,  remembering  that  Hhe  prayer  of 
faith  shall  save  the  sick.'  In  the  afternoon  I  found  her  in 
sad  need  of  sleep.  I  told  her  just  to  look  to  Jesus,  because 
it  was  written  of  Him,  ^  So  He  giveth  His  beloved  sleep.' 
We  prayed  together,  and  I  left  her  in  a  profound  slumber. 
'  This  morning  when  I  called  on  her  she  could  see  me.' 
Friends,  the  Lord  does  answer  prayer." 


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cloth,  75  cents, 
"  This  book,  so  small  in  bulk  but  so  large  in  thought,  sets  forth  a  great  mass  of  such  tes- 
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amazement  and  awe.     It  is  the  very  book  to  put  into  the  hands  of  an  intelligent  Agnostic." 
—  The  Christian^  London. 

MANY  INFALLIBLE  PROOFS.  By  Rev.  Arthur  T.  Pierson, 
D.  D.     317  pp.  i2mo.     Cloth,  $1.00,  paper,  35  cents. 

"  It  is  not  an  exercise  in  mental  gymnastics,  but  an  earnest  inquiry  after  the  truth." — 
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research." — Independent. 

HOW  I  REACHED  THE  MASSES;  Together  with  twenty-two 
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ENDLESS  BEING;   or,    Man   Made  for  Eternity.      By  Rev.  J.  L. 

Barlow.      Introduction  by  the  Rev.   P.  S.  Henson,  D.  D.      Cloth, 

i6mo.,  165  pages,  75  cents. 
An  unanswerable  work  ;  meeting  the  so-called  annihilation  and  kindred  theories  most 
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with  the  ground  he  covers.     It  is  a  work  which  should  be  widely  circulated. 

PAPERS  ON  PREACHING.      By  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Baldwin, 
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No  phase  of  the  Sabbath  question  is  left  undiscussed,  while  every  topic  is  treated  in  the 
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"An  incisive  and  effective  discussion  of  the  subject." — N.  Y.  Observer. 

"  A  thoughtful  Christian  defence  of  that  divine  institution." — Christian  Advocate. 

QUESTIONS   OF   THE    AGES.      By  Rev.  Moses  Smith. 
Cloth  i2mo,  132  pages,  75  cents. 

What  is  the  Almighty?  I         Is  there  Common  Sense  in  Religion? 

What  is  man  ?  \  What  is  Faith  ? 

What  is  the  Trinity  ?  Is  there  a  Larger  Hope  f 

Which  ts  the  Great  Commandment .  |         Is  Li/e  Worth  Living? 

What  Mean  these  Stones? 
"  Discusses  certain  of  the  deep  things  of  the  Gospel  in  such  a  wise  and  suggestive 
fashion  that  they  are  helpful.      One,  answers  negatively  and  conclusively  the  question,  Is 
there  a  larger  hope  ?  ' —  The  Congregationafist. 


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WORKS  OF  PROF.  REVERE  FRANKLIN  WEIDNER,  D.  D. 

Biblical  Tlieology  of  the  Old  Testament.    Based  on  Oehler . .  $1.25. 

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ner  on  its  accorsplishment.     We  shall  hope  to  hear  from  him  again." — TAe  Advance. 

"Oehler's  famous  work  is  bulky,  as  the  products  of  German  scholarship  are  apt  to 
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the  needs  of  the  class-room  in  the  theological  seminary,  and  to  the  wants  of  the  pastor 
actively  engaged.  Nor  would  it  be  amiss  for  teachers  of  Bible  classes  to  give  the 
work  careful  study."— TA^  Moravian. 

Biblical  Tlieology  of  New  Testament.— Vols,  i  and  2,  each  $1.50. 

"The  great  merit  of  his  work  is  the  method  of  original  and  independent  investiga- 
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"All  in  all,  this  is  a  book  that  Theologians,  Bible  Students,  and  Sunday  School 
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writers  on  the  subject,  but  it  is  in  no  sense  a  translation.  .  .  .  His  statements  of  a 
subject  and  of  a  line  of  argument  are  made  with  neatness,  precision,  and  in  that  sug- 
gestive manner  which  is  a  prime  merit  in  work  of  this  sort." — The  Independent. 

"  In  his  selection  of  literature  Prof.  Weidner  has  shown  great  care  and  skill.  Only 
that  which  is  of  practical  value  is  mentioned.  The  book  is  just  what  it  purports  to  be, 
a  textbook;  it  is  arranged  for  the  wants  of  the  student.  But  its  use  is  not  coiihned  to 
the  theological  class  room.  Ministers  w/io  study  (alas  that  the  number  of  those  who 
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embraced  in  theological  knowledge.  It  explains  the  inner  organization  of  Theology, 
maps  out  its  divisions,  and  shows  them  in  their  relation  to  one  another.  Methodology- 
is  the  practical  application  of  Theological  Encyclopaedia.  It  shows  the  order  in  which 
the  various  topics  are  begt  taken  up, indicates  the  best  methods,  and  points  out  the  most 
useful  books.  In  this  work  a  full  and  clear  presentation  of  the  various  disciplines  be 
longing  to  each  department  is  given, together  with  valuable  lists  of  books.  The  sciences 
of  Symbolics  and  Dogmatics  are  treated  with  special  fulness,  and  the  literature  under 
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This  second  volume  is  as  compact  and  thorough  in  its  treatment  as  the  first  on  Exeget- 
tea  I  Theology.  The  latter  part  of  the  work  contains  an  Appendix  on  the  "History  of 
Dogmatics,"  covering  120  pages,  reprinted  from  the  author's  Introduction  to  Dogmatic 
'Theology. 

An  Introduction  to  Dogmatic  Tlieology.    Based  on  Luthardt.  $2.00. 

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account  of  the  dogmatic  teachers  of  the  Ancient  Church,  of  the  Middle  Ages,  of  the 
Reformation  age  and  so  on — with  terse  biographies.  We  are  thus  enabled  to  glance 
over  the  whole  field.  .  .  .  The  book  is  well  worth  the  reading  of  our  clergy."— 27** 
Churchman  (Episcopal). 

"The  work  is  made  one  of  great  practical  value  for  the  student,  presenting  within 
moderate  compass  what  one  would  be  obliged  to  seek  for  otherwise  through  whol* 


libraries.  It  is  clear,  comprehensive,  condensed,  with  admirable  analysis  of  the  sub- 
ject, yet  with  enough  of  the  synthetical  element  to  secure  unity  in  the  result."— /^ro«» 
The  Standard. 

Practical  Theology— $i.oo. 

Studies  in  the  Book.    For  training  classes. 

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General  Epistles  and  Revelation.  16mo.,  cloth  interleaved  for  notes. ..  $1.00 
Vol.  II.— Studies  on  I  Thes.,II  Thes,,  Gal.,  I  Cor.,  II  Cor  and  Romans..  1.00 
Vol.  III.— Studies  on  Col.,  Eph.,  Philemon,  Phil.,  Heb.,  I  Tim.,  II  Tim., 

and  Titus 1.00 

"Prof.  Weidner  has  here  given  us  the  fruit  of  years  of  study  and  instruction.  His 
notes  are  just  shrewd  and  discriminating  and  no  one  can  faithfully  peruse  them  with- 
out gaining  an  enlarged  and  moving  conception  of  the  contents  of  tne  Bible." — Standi 
ard. 

••We  have  for  these  books  only  commendation."— ^iiJ/r  Teacher, 


Treasury  of  Scripture  Knowledge.    (Bagsters.) 

Consisting  of  five  hundred  thousand  Scripture  references  and  parallel  pas- 
sages, numerous  illustrative  notes,  8vo.,  cloth,  700  pages $2.00 

"You  have  conferred  a  favor  on  the  Bible  students  of  America  by  issuing  your 
edition  of  Treasury  of  Scripture  Knowledge.  Bible  students  who  desire  to  compare 
Scripture  with  Scripture  will  find  the  '  Treasury  '  to  be  of  better  help  than  Any  other 
book  of  which  I  have  any  knowledge."— i?.  R.  McBurney,  Gen.  Sec,  T  M.  C.  A.,  Nevf 
Tork. 

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living  teacher." — National  Baptist. 

Inglis'  Bible  Text  Cyclopedia. 

By  Rev.  Jas.  Inglis.    A  complete  classification  of  Scripture  Texts  in  the 
form  of  an  alphabetical  list  of  subjects.     Large  8vo.,  524  pages,  cloth..    $1.75 
"  "We  know  of  no  other  work  comparable  with  it  in  this  department  of  study."— 
Sunday  Scnool  Times. 

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topic  and  names  and  subjects  are  taken  up  which  do  not  appear  in  any  other  Cyclo- 
pedia. "—.S/o«</ar</. 

JTotes  on  the  Parables  and  Miracles. 

By  Trench.    Two  volumes  in  one,  868  pages,  large  8vo.,  cloth $2.00 

Trench  remains  as  popular  to-day  as  ever,  the  greatest  work  on  the  Parables  or 

Miracles  extant. 

A  Brief  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Theology. 

By  Prof.  R.  V.  Foster,  D.  D.,  16mo.,  cloth $1.00 

"It  aims  to  deepen  the  impression,  in  the  minds  of  both  ministers  and  laymen,  of 
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practical  part  of  the  book  is  that  which  discusses  personal  requisites  to  the  study  of 
theology." — The  Interior. 

Biblical  Studies.    An  outline  of  Old  Testament  Theology. 

By  Prof.  R.  V.  Foster,  D.  D.,  12mo.,  365  pages,  cloth $1.60 

A  New  Catechism;  or,  Manuel  of  Instruction  for  Students  and  other 
Thoughtful  Inquirers. 

By  Rev.  J.  T.  Hyde,  D.  D.,  12rao.,  176  pages,  cloth $1.00 


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Matthew  Henry's  Commentary. 

A  new  large  type  edition.  The  best  type  and  best  edition  issued,  6  vola, 
in  box,  fine  cloth , $15.00 

Same  in  half  Morocco $18.00 

"Biblical  students  who  are  most  familiar  with  the  very  best  commentaries  of  this 
generation  are  most  able  to  appreciate  the  unfading-  freshness,  the  clear  analysis,  the 
yjiritual  force,  the  quaint  humor,  and  the  evangelical  richness  of  Matthew  Henry's 
Exposition  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments."— iV^w  York  Observer. 

"First  among  the  mighty  for  general  usefulness  we  are  bound  to  mention  the  man 
whose  name  is  a  household  word. — Matthew  Henry.  He  is  the  most  pious  and 
pithy,  sound  and  sensible,  suggestive  and  sober,  terse  and  trustworthy." — Kev.  C.  H. 
Spurgeon. 

Jamieson,  Faussett,  and  Brown's  Popular  Commentary. 

Critical,  practicable,  explanatory.  A  new  edition,  containing  the  com- 
>lete  unabridged  notes  in  clean  type,  on  good  paper,  in  four  handsome 
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compiled  from  Dr.  Smith's  standard  works.     Four  vols.,  in  neat  box, 

fine  cloth $8.00 

Half  morocco „ , 10.00 

"The  best  condensed  Commentary  on  the  whole  Bible  is  the  Commentary  on  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments  by  Jamieson,  Faussett  and  Brown.  It  contains  notes  of  the 
choicest  and  richest  character  on  all  parts  of  the  Holy  Bible.  It  is  the  cream  of  the 
Commentaries  carefully  collected  by  three  eminent  scholars.  Its  critical  introduction 
to  each  book  of  Scripture,  its  eminently  practical  notes,  its  numerous  pictorial  illus- 
trations, commend  it  strongly  to  the  Sunday-school  worker  and  to  the  clergyman. 
Then  it  is  such  a  marvel  of  cheapness."— Rt.  Rev.  J.  H.  Vincent,  D.  D.,  in  **Aids  to 
Bible  Study." 

The  leading  clergymen  and  college  professors  of  the  country  unite  with  Bishop 
Vincent  in  placing  this  Commentary  in  the  first  rank  of  all  Biblical  aids. 

Stalker's  Life  of  St.  Paul. 

12mo.,  cloth 60 

Bristling  with  information.  As  an  outline  of  Paul's  life,  it  cannot  be  surpassed. — 
New  Tork  Ckristiati  Enquirer, 

Stalker's  Life  of  Christ. 

12mo.,  cloth O...C..O.        .60 

Multum  in  Parvo  is  the  apt  description  of  these  life  studies.  Especially  valuable 
as  text-books  for  reading  circles. 

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which  is  presented  in  this  book.  We  value  it  as  a  rare  manual  for  the  study  of  the 
divine  man." — Illustrated  Christian  Weekly. 

Robinson's  Harmony  of  the  Four  Gospels  in  the  Words  of  the  Au- 
thorized Version. 

Edited  by  Dr.  B.  Davies.    16mo „...       .60 

Handbook  to  Grammar  of  the  Greek  Testament. 

By  Rev.  S.  G.  Green,  D.  D.  Together  with  a  complete  vocabiilary,  and 
an  examination  of  the  chief  New  Testament  Synonyms.     Illustrated 

by  Examples  and  Comments.     New  and  Revised  Edition.    Bvo •.«•    $2.0(f 

Constant  reference  is  made  to  the  revised  New  Testament  of  1881,  and  more  espe- 
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remodeled,  and  the  work  in  its  new  form  is  offered  to  tutors,  classes  and  private  stu- 
dents, in  the  confidence  that  it  will  be  found  more  than  ever  adapted  to  their  needs. 

A  Syllabus  of  the  Outlines  and  Literature  of  Old  Testament  History 

By  Prof.  IraM.  Price,  Ph.  D.,  Leipsic $1.50 

This  work  is  a  systematic  and  chronological  analysis  of  the  history  found  in  the 
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especially  such  as  are  corroborated  by  the  newest  discoveries  in  the  East.  The  work 
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148-1^0  Madison  Street,   f  IBnillJJ   M.   KGUBll  uOi  30  Union  Square  Eas(- 


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These  books  are  written  by  specialists,  and  their  aim  is  to  give  the 
results  of  the  latest  and  best  scholarships  on  questions  of  Biblical 
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tion that  is  not  easily  accessible,  even  to  those  who  have  a  large 
acquaintance  with  the  higher  literature  on  these  subjects. 


IS.     Early  Bible  Song:s. 

With  introduction  on  the  Nature  and  Spirit  of  Hebrew  Song,  by 

A.  H.  DrysdaleM.   A $100 

14.    modern  Discoveries  on  tlie  Site  of  Ancient  Epliesus. 

By  J .  T.  Wood,  F.  S.  A.    lUustrated $100 

1 3.     Tlie  Times  of  Isaiali. 

As  illustrated  from  Con  temporary  Monuments.  By  A.  H.  Sayce,  LL.  D.      .80 
1*.    The  Hittites;  or  tlie  Story   of  a  Forgotten  Empire. 

By  A.  H.  Sayce,  LL.  D.    Illustrated,    Crown,  8vo $120 

1 1.    Animals  of  tlie  Bible. 

Bv  H.  Chichester  Hart,  Naturalist  to  Sir  G.  Nares'  Arctic  Expedition 
and  Professor  Hull's  Palestine  Expedition.  Illustrated,  Crown,  8vo  $1  20 
10,    Tlie  Trees  and  Plants  Mentioned  in  tlie  Bible. 

By  W.  H.  Groser,  B.  Sc.    Illustrated $1 00 

9.    The  Diseases  of  the  Bible. 

By  Sir  J.  Risdon  Bennett $100 

8.    The  Dwellers  on  the  Nile. 

Chapters  on  the  Life,  Literature,  History  and  Customs  of  Ancient 
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Oriental  Antiquities,  British  Museum.    Illustrated $1  20 

T.    Assyria;  Its  Princes,  Priests  and  People. 

By  A.  H.  Sayce,  M.  A.,  LL.  D.,  author  of  "Fresh  Light  from  Ancient 
Monuments,"    "Introduction  to  Ezra,  Nehemiah  and  Esther,"  etc. 

Illustrated $130 

jypt  and  Syria. 

["heir  Physical  Features  in  Relation  to  Bible  History.  By  Sir  J.  W. 
Dawson,  Principal  of  McGill  College,  Montreal,  F.  G.  S.,  F.  R.  S., 
author  of  "The  Chain  of  Life  in  Geological  Time,"  etc.    Second 

edition,  revised  and  enlarged.    With  many  illustrations $120 

5.    Galilee  in  the  time  of  Christ. 

By  Selah  Merrill,  D.D..  author  of  "Eastof  the  Jordan,  "etc.  WithMap  $100 
4.    Babylonian  Life  and  History. 

By  E.  A.  Willis  Budge,  M.  A.,  Cambridge,  Assistant  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  Oriental  Antiquities,  British  Museum,  illustrated $120 

8.    Recent  DiseoTcries  on  the  Temple  Hill  at  Jerusalem. 
By  the  Rev.  J.  King,  M.  A.,  Authorized  Lecturer  for  the  Palestine 

Exploration  Fund.    With  Maps,  Plans  and  Illustrations $1  00 

2.    Fresh  Liig:lits  From  the  Ancient  Monuments. 

A  Sketch  of  the  most  striking  Confirmations  of  the  Bible  from  recent 
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Oxford,  etc.    With  facsimiles  from  photographs $1  20 

1.    Cleopatra's  Needle. 

History  of  the  London  Obelisk,  with  an  Exposition  of  the  Hiero- 
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Th 


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form with  former  volumes,  and  containing  studies  and  talks  by  Bishops 
Baldwin  and  Foss,  Prof.  Harper,  Rev.  Drs.  Hodge,  Driver,  Pearson, 
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COLLEGE:  STUDENTS  AT  NORTHFIELD;  or,  A  College  of 
Colleges,  No.  2.  Conducted  during  July,  1888:  Containing  addresses 
by  Mr.  D.  L.  Moody,  Rev.  J.  Hudson  Taylor,  M.  D.,  Bishop  Hendrix, 
Rev.  Alex.  McKenzie,  D.D.,  Rev.  Henry  Clay  Trumbull,  D.  D.,  Prof. 
W.  B.  Harper,  and  oth-ers.  i2mo,  296  pp.,  cloth,  $1.00  net. 
The  "  Practical  Talks  "  as  given  in  report  of  last  year's  gathering,  the  demand  fof 

which  has  called  for  a  seventh  edition,  has  induced  us  to  publish  an  account  of  this  year  s 

proceedings,  none  the  less  "  practical,"  and  we  feel  sure  will  be  as  fully  appreciated. 

Dr.  A .  T.  Pierson  writes :  "  Admirable  book.  I  deem  it  one  of  the  best  of  all  the 
practical  helps  issued  by  the  press." 

Dr.  Joseph  Cook.—  ''  It  is  well  edited,  well  printed,  and  well  inspired  from  on  High. 
Is  full  of  a  Holy  Fire  of  spiritual  zeal,  which  I  hope  to  see  spread  far  and  wide. 

President  M.  E.  Gates,  of  Rutgers  College,  writes:  "The  influence  which  has 
^one  out  on  the  College  Life  of  this  country,  from  the  summer  meetings  at  Northfield,  is  so 
potent  for  good,  that  1  welcome  the  extension  and  perpetuation  of  that  influence  througlx 
this  book." 

SEVENTH  THOUSAND. 

A  COLLEGE   OF  COLLEGES;   or,  Practical  Talks  to  College 

Students.  Given  in  July,  1887,  by  Prof.  Henry  Drummond,  F.R.S.S., 
Rev.  J.  A.  Broadus,  D.D.,  Prof.  Townsend,  Rev.  A.  T.  Pierson.D.D., 
|Ir.  D.  L.  Moody,  and  others.     i2mo,  288  pp.,  cloth,  $1.00  net. 

'■'■0[s\zr\2\vz}i\x&.''''— Chautauqua  Herald.      ^       ,    ^      .         „_.^ 
"We  commend  this  volume  very  coxd:xa\\y .'' -Presbyterian   Witness. 
"  The  volume  closes  with  a  chapter  of  '  nuggets '  from  Northfield,  which  is  no  excep- 
tion, however,  as  the  other  chapters  are  equally  rich  in  '  nuggets.     —  The  Independent. 

D.  L.  MOODY  AT  HOME.    His  Home  and  Home  Work. 

Embracing  a  description  of  the  educational  institutions  established  at 
Northfield,  Mass.,  together  v;ith  an  account  of  the  various  noted  gath- 
erings of  Christian  workers  at  the  place,  and  the  most  helpful  and  sug- 
gestive lectures,  and  the  best  thoughts  there  exchanged  ;  adding,  also, 
many  helpful  and  practical  results.  288  pp.,  clo.,  8  Illustrations,  $1.00. 
The  New  York  Independent  says:  "  There  is  nothing  in  the  career  of  this  remark- 
able man  more  striking  than  his  work  at  Northfield."         _       • ,     -.  rr.,  ui-     • 

The  New  York  Evangelist  spoke  most  truly  when  it  said  :  "  1  he  public  is  unaware 
of  Mr.  Moody's  enormous  investments  at  Northfield,  that  will  pay  him  abundant  intarest 
long  after  he  reaches  heaven." 


..sJ^^^fZstr.,,.  Fleniing  H.  ReVeII  Co.  so  uZIZ'^:e.,. 


Writings  of  Rev.  F.  B.  MEYER,  B.  A. 

Mr.  Meyer  always  writes  to  edification.— C.  H.  SPURGEON. 


^  0  0  e  :p  I)  ,     Beloved— Hated— Exalted.     Cloth,  i6  mo.,  $i.oo. 

(±5 

In  the  present  volume  Mr.  Meyer  retells  vfith  skill  and  pathos  thf 
old-world  story  of  the  Israelitish  youth  who  rose  through  pit  and  prison  to 
the  post  of  Premier  of  Egypt;  a  story  of  undying  interest  and  worth,  not 
only  as  a  true  tale  of  Eastern  romance,  but  as  a  unique  example  of  the 
value  of  piety,  purity  of  life  and  fidelity  in  service. 


3^ 


lOTH  THOUSAND. 

b  r  CI  ll  CI  tit :      or,  The  Obedience  of  Faith.     Cloih,  i6  mo.,  $i.oo. 


A  book  we  would  very  heartily  commend  to  those  who  desire  to  make 
progress  in  Christian  life  and  experience;  each  will  find  it  helpful  and  sug- 
gestive, sending  new  light  upon  many  a  well-known  narrative. — Christian 
Progress. 

The  contents  of  the  book  before  us  are  such  that  no  one  can  rise  from 
its  perusal  without  feeling  consciously  strengthened  in  God  and  inspired 
afresh  for  the  Godly  life. — Sunday-School  Chronicle. 

Really  a  very  beautiful  work,  which  will  be  read  with  delight  by 
many  a  fireside.  After  all,  this  home-like  treatment  of  Scripture  biography, 
with  the  object  of  bringing  out  the  spiritual  lessons,  is  amongst  the  highest 
and  most  profitable  studies. —  The  Freeman. 

I3TH  THOUSAND. 

i^  0  r  a  e  I  :      a  Prince  with  God.     Cloth,  16  mo.,  $1.00. 


Mr.  Meyer  has  great  descriptive  power.  He  can  tell  a  narrative 
well.  This  subject  in  his  hand  glows  with  life,  and  the  scenes  and  events  in 
the  history  of  his  hero  pass  vividly  before  you,  and  are  ever  being  used  to 
force  home  some  important  principle. — British  Messenger. 

With  a  keen  moral  insight,  and  a  deep  spiritual  sympathy,  he  de- 
scribes the  piety  and  weakness  of  the  best  beloved  of  the  Patriarchs. 
—  Christian  Leader. 

Exceedingly  good,  not  only  spiritual,  but  also  thoughtful,  fresh,  sug- 
gestive and  thoroughly  practical. —  C.  H.  Spurgeon,  in  Sword  and  Trowel, 

From  first  to  last  the  book  is  richly  suggestive  and  spiritually  ix\x\\.- 
iM\.— Word  and  Work. 

I5TH   THOUSAND, 

^jjy  1  i  I  g  I) :      and  the  Secret  of  his  Power.     Cloth,  ib  mo.,  $1.00. 

The  leading  object  of  this  volume  is  to  show  that  Elijah's  God  is  ou:< 
God;  and  how  a  like  dependence  may  be  ours  if  our  dependence  is  in  the 
living  God.  It  is  encouraging  and  stimulating;  yet  full  of  solemn  warnings. 
Some  parts  are  grandly  written  and  of  thrilling  interest. — Footsteps  0/ 
Truth. 

Good,  exceedingly  good  I  Mr.  Meyer  is  a  great  gain  to  the  armies  of 
Eyangelical  truth;  for  his  tone,  spirit  and  aspirations  are  all  of  a  fine  Gospel 
sort. — Sword  and  Trowel. 

NiwYQRK    ::    Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.    ;;     Chicago. 


WRITINGS  OF  REV.  F.  W.  MEYER,  B.  A. 


44^J^*^i^\  U^  Xli'^i>,^^     Expositions  of  the  First  Epistle  of  Peter.   C/oiA, 

jj^nco  OP  4rvrg-  ^5  ,^^.^  $1.00. 

We  doubt  whether  any  work  has  appeared  since  the  time  of  Leighton, 
on  the  same  subject,  which  equals  the  one  before  us.  These  expositions  of 
one  of  the  richest  of  the  Epistles  are  brightly  and  beautifully  written,  and 
infused  by  a  lofty  and  evangelical  Christian  spirit— Frimittve  Methodist. 


i 


2IST  THOUSAND. 

lie  IJresent  gTcnses  of  tiie  Bleseeb  Cifc    cioth,  32  mo.,  50c. 

We  -ommend  the  book  as  one  that  cannot  fail  to  be  read  with  profit. 
— Evangelical  Christendom. 

A  gem  and  brimful  of  spiritual  life. — Methodist  New  Connexion 
Magazine. 

2OTH  THOUSAND. 

fll^liristian  £it)ing»    cioth,  32  mo.,  50c. 

Full  of  sweetness  and  light.  No  Christian  can  read  it  and  fail  to 
receive  stimulus  in  the  direction  whither  the  true-hearted  would  go.— C^«- 
gregational  Magazine. 

Special  stress  is  made  in  this  little  volume  on  the  practical  side  of  the 
Christian  life.  Thoughts  calculated  to  strengthen  and  inspire  in  the  per- 
formance of  every-day  duties,  are  put  in  clear  and  simple  ioxvc^.— Advance.^ 

Tbey  prove  most  refreshing  reading;  and  for  the  culture  of  the  relig- 
ous  life  we  can  recommend  nothing  better. — Standard. 


I9TH  THOUSAND. 

q^he  Sjietlhetb  Psalm.     MedUaUons^on  the  .3d  Psalm.      Cloth,  3^ 

We  have  never  read  anything  so  charming  on  the  Twenty- third 
Psalm.  It  is  full  of  beauty  and  poetry.  Anything  that  this  gifted  and 
spiritual  author  writes  requires  no  recommendation,  as  he  is  well  known  to 
the  Christian  public— /r/j/^    Congregational  Magazine. 

Mr.  Meyer  has  given  us  a  devotional  work  on  this  inspired  Psalm 
which  every  Christian  man  and  woman  should  not  only  read  but  carry  about 
in  his  pocket  in  order  to  snatch  even  amid  the  busy  employment  of  life  an 
upHfting  and  elevating  thought.  This  little  book  is  worth  its  weight  m 
go\^,— Central  Baptist. 

Envelope  Series  of  Booklets,  by  Rev.  B.  F.  Meyer. 

The  Chambers  of  the  King.      Words  of  Help  for  Christian  The  Lost  Chord  Found. 
With  Christ  in  Separation.  Girls.  „.,..      Why  Sign  the  Pledge  ? 

Seven  Rules  for  Daiy  Living,  The  Filling  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Secret  of  Power. 
The  Secret  of  Victory  over  Sin.  The  Stewardship  of  Money.     Our  Bible  Reading 
The  First  Step  into  the  Blessed  Where  am  I  Wrong?  Ihe  Secret  of  Guidance. 

Life^  ^  Young  Man,  Don't  Drift!  Peace,  Perfect  Peace. 

20c.  per  dozen,  or  $1.50  per  100. 
CHOICE  EXTRACTS  from  writings  of  F.  B.  Meyer,  48  pages,  5c.  per  copy;  35c.  dozen. 

NItWYORK.     ::      FlCITling    H.    ReVell    Co.     ::        CHICAGO. 


Popular  Missionary  Biographies. 

i2mo,  i6o  pages.     Fully  illustrated;  cloth  extra,  75  cents  each 


Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon, 
writes : 

"  Crowded  with  facts 
that  both  interest  and  in- 
spire, we  can  conceive  of 
no  better  plan  to  spread 
the  Missionary  spirit  than 
the  multiplying  of  such 
biographies;  and  we 
■would  specially  commend 
this  series  to  those  who 
have  the  management  of 
libraries  and  selection  of 
prizes  in  our  Sunday 
Schools." 


From  The  Missionary 
Herald : 


.0?   >        "We  commended  this 
^  Ar      series  in  our  last  issue, 


and  a  further  examma- 
tion  leads  us  to  renew  our 
commendation,  and  to 
ur£-e  the  placing  of  this 
series  of  missionary  books 
in  ail  our  Sabbath-school 
libraries. 

These  books  are  hand- 
somely printed  and  bound 
and  are  beautifully  illus- 
trated, and  we  are  confi- 
dent that  they  will  prove 
attractive  to  all  young 
people." 


SAMUEL  CROWTHER,   the  Slave  Boy  who  became  Bishop  of 

the  Niger.    By  Jesse  Page,  author  of  "  Bishop  Patterson." 
THOMAS   J.  COMBER,  Missionary   Pioneer  to  the  Congo.      By 

Rev.  J.  B.  Myers,  Association  Secretary  Baptist  Missionary  Society, 
BISHOP  PATTESON,  the  Martyr  of  Melanesia.  By  Jesse  Page. 
GRIFFITH    JOHN,    Founder    of   the   Hankow   Mission,  Central 

China.    By  Wm.  Robson,  of  the  -London  Missionary  Society. 
ROBERT   MORRISON,  the   Pioneer  of    Chinese   Missions.      By 

Wm.  J.  ToWNSEND,  Sec.  Methodist  New  Connexion  Missionary  Soc'y. 
ROBERT  MOFFAT,  the  Missionary  Hero  of  Kuruman.    By  David 

J.  Deane,  author  of  "  Martin  Luther,  the  Reformer,"  etc. 
WILLIAM    CAREY,  the   Shoemaker  who  became  a  Missionary. 

By  Rev.  J.  B.  Myers,  Association  Secretary  Baptist  Missionary  Society. 
JAMES    CHALMERS,    Missionary    and    Explorer  of  Rarotonga 

and  New  Guinea.  By  Wm.  Robson,  of  the  London  Missionary  Soc'y. 
MISSIONARY  LADIES  IN  FOREIGN  LANDS.     By  Mrs.  E.  R. 

PiLMAN,  author  of  "  Heroines  of  the  Mission  Fields,"  etc. 
JAMES  CALVERT ;  or,  From  Dark  to  Dawn  in  Fiji. 
JOHN  WILLIAMS,  the    Martyr   of    Erromanga.      By  Rev.  James 

J.  Ellis. 


UNIFORM   WITH   THE   ABOVE. 


JOHN  BRIGHT,  the  Man  of  the  People.     By  Jesse  Page,  author  of 

"  Bishop  Patteson,"  "  Samuel  Crowther,"  etc. 
HENRY  M.  STANLEY,  the  African  Explorer.  By  Arthur  Monte- 

fiore,  F.R.G.S.     Brought  down  to  1889. 
DAVID  LIVINGSTON,  his  Labors  and  his  Legacy. 


CHICAGO: 
148-130  Madison  Street. 


Flemiiig  H.  I^eVell  Co. 


NEW  YORK: 
JO  Union  Square  East' 


Date  Due  • 

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